Crossroads
by LiztheZombie
Summary: When Bella turned to face Edward, she suddenly realized what had seemed so off about him today. His eyes had changed colors. She remembered how dark his eyes had been before when she last saw him. Now they were lighter, brighter even. Bella couldn't help but think they looked almost golden. This is a Twilight AU that goes deeper into Bella's interactions with the other characters
1. Preface

It was when she was thirteen that Bella realized how different the relationship she had with her mother truly was. Her mother had always irresponsible. Her earliest memory was helping her mother find their way home after they had first moved to Phoenix. By the time she was ten Bella was already making grocery list and planning meals for the week. She had once prided herself on these things. Renee always told her how special she was. Bella wasn't like other girls. She was an old soul. Bella loved her mother the most in these moments. Renee was proud of her. That was all she needed. But then she turned thirteen. Bella had gone to a friend's house for a birthday party over the weekend. She returned home to find the power shut off completely. Renee had forgotten to pay the electricity bill, and was freaking out because that weekend she had decided to treat herself and they didn't have the money to pay it. Bella had reassured her mother that she could pay it with some of the birthday money she saved up from Charlie. How brightly Renee had smiled at her.

"You take such good care of me Bella. I don't know where I'd be without my little helper."

Renee wrapped Bella into a tight hug as she said this. Before the words would have brought such joy to Bella she thought she would burst, now she just felt sick. Her stomach churning uncomfortably as she wondered where her mother would be without her. Horrible images of of her mother's dirty body in a ditch popped into her mind. She knew her mother wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. The cold feeling inside her body turned hot with anger. It shouldn't be her job. Her friends didn't have to remind their mothers to pay bills on time, let alone give them the money to pay for it. It wasn't fair. Renee was the adult, not her. The rage quickly built up inside Bella's chest. She felt like screaming. Bella opened her mouth, but froze when she saw her mother searching for her car keys. It struck her in that moment that Renee was hopeless without her. She couldn't be trusted to take care of cleaning the house or remembering to pay the bills. She didn't think of those things. So Bella shut her mouth and helped her mother search for her purse. Bella started to take her job as her mother's caretaker seriously then. She started to turn down her friends' invites for fear she'd come home and the water would be shut off the this time or find no food in the refrigerator. No, Bella wasn't the same once she turned thirteen.

She grew more and more distant from her peers. She couldn't stand their mindless conversations while she was worrying about keeping her house from falling apart. This anxiety secured her in her part as her mother's caretaker weather she liked it or not. So Bella focused on the two things she felt her had some control over, her school work and her mother. The next two years passed in somewhat of a blur. Nothing really seemed to change in their routine. Not until Phil came into the picture. Bella was awoken in the middle of the night to the drunken giggles of her mother and an unknown man. Bella's heart raced as she thought her mother had let a some burglar into the house while in a drunken daze. The man froze when he saw Bella causing her mother to start pouting.

"Don't worry about her, Phil. My Bella Bear has everything under control."

Her words started to slur at the end of the sentence as her face dropped. Phil grunted as Renee slumped lifeless against him. Bella snapped out of her stupor and stepped forward to take her mother from him. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't want him out of her sight.

"I can help," he said stiffly, not meeting her eyes.

Bella had protested, but Phil ignored her. She nudged him out of the way as she took her mother shoes off and settled her into bed. Her eyes never left Phil as he stood in the doorway. She watched as Phil bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"I'll just...tell Renee…." Phil trailed off and he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Thanks for getting her home safe," Bella said, trying to hint towards the idea of Phil leaving.

Phil nodded vigorously. "Of course!"

After a few painfully awkward moments, Phil finally left her house. Bella had thought that she would never see Phil again. She was mistaken. A couple weeks later Renee brought Phil over for a surprise family dinner to introduce him as her newest boyfriend. More and more Renee brought Phil around. Bella slowly felt her fears about their relationship melt away after he had stuck around after a year. Renee tended to go for younger men who matched her more in mental age than anything else. Bella suspected her mother did this to make up on the time she lost being a pregnant at eighteen and stuck raising her the past fifteen years. Most of her mother's relationships were short and flighty as she was a fickle person herself. They never lasted more than a couple months or so.

Bella never admitted it outloud but she was slightly thankful Phil had been the one fling to stick around. After he had moved in with him, Phil started to take on more of the household responsibilities. With his help with the bills and budgeting, it left more time on Bella's hands than she was used with. After years of isolation from her peers, Bella didn't know how to connect with them anymore. She saw them as immature children, while they found her distant and detached. With her mother often wrapped up in Phil, Bella dove into the world of literature. It was more classic works by Austin and the Bronte sisters that kept her occupied for hours. She ever experimented with some of Stephen King's works.

It came as no surprise when Phil proposed to her mother on her birthday. Bella couldn't help the few tears that slipped down her face when she saw just how happy her mother was. There was a deeper, darker part of her that was happy Phil would be helping keeping her mother in check. Bella did her best to shake off those kind of thoughts. She loved her mother and she loved that she was happy. However the honeymoon phase soon faded once Phil started to pursue his childhood dream of playing professional baseball. With Phil traveling more and more, Renee started to fall into a deep depression. The longer Phil was on the road, the longer it took Bella to convince her mother to eat breakfast or take a shower. Now a new fear all but consumed Bella. She would stay up for hours just to check on her mother every few hours to make sure she didn't harm herself.

The first thought of moving to Forks was born in her mother's dark room. With heavy eyes, Bella thought it would be a good thing for her to leave. If she wasn't here, Renee would be free to travel with Phil and she would be happy. When she had brought up the idea to Charlie he had been extremely surprised to hear she was even considering to move to Forks. She had always hated the rainy town and hadn't put much effort into hiding it. But Bella was willing to make that sacrifice once she saw how excited her mother had been at the idea of getting to travel with Phil. When Charlie said he was more than willing to take her in, it was all Renee needed to crawl out of her funk. That was worth it to Bella. Even her own sadness threatened to crush her as she stared sadly out at the vast desert of Phoenix.

Renee told her again and again that she didn't have to move. That she was perfectly happy staying here with her. Bella could only offer her mother a tight smile. They both knew that wasn't true.

"It's okay mom. I want to go," she said, looking her mother in the eyes as she said so.

She surprised herself by how sincere it sounded. Although Bella knew she would be miserable in the small, rainy town of Forks, she knew it was better than watching her mother wither away because her new husband couldn't be by her side all the time. It would be better than feeling the growing hate inside her chest every time she looked at her mother.

Bella took a deep breathe and leaned further out the car window. She wanted to feel the blistering heat of Phoenix one last time before she left. Bella felt her resolve harden as the Phoenix airport came into view.

It would be better for all of them if she went to Forks.


	2. One

Trees were a foreign concept to Bella. After years of open desert, the vast forest that surrounded Forks felt more like the bars of a prison cell than anything else. To look out and see nothing but dark bark and spongy moss was maddening. God, she was convinced that everything green on Earth decided to pack their bags and move to Forks with her.

"I have a surprise to you Bells," Charlie said out of the blue.

The sound of her father's voice made her jump. Bella's lips turned down into a frown as she gripped her knees tightly. Her heart began to pound. A surprise? What did that mean? Charlie coughed a little. Bella glanced out of the corner of her eye to see him clutching tightly onto the steering wheel. Like father, like daughter it seemed. He was just as nervous as she was.

"I just...I just hope you like it." Charlie coughed again. His knuckles started to turn white.

Bella glanced nervously out the car window. She recognized this street. They were turning into Charlie's neighbourhood.

'Your neighbourhood,' she reminded herself.

Taking a deep breath, Bella started to wring her hands together. "Well that depends on what it is."

They both laughed awkwardly to avoid speaking. A faded red truck sitting in the middle of his driveway caught Bella's eye. She frowned as Charlie pulled up next to the car. Who's car was that? A person wasn't the surprise, were they? Bella pressed her lips tightly together as she fought the urge to throw up.

Charlie turned towards her. There was a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Surprise," he said, gesturing a hand towards the truck. "It's yours."

Bella blinked owlishly at him. "Mine?"

She didn't understand what he was implying. Charlie just chuckled at her ignorance. Bella flushed hotly.

"The truck is yours. I thought you could use it as a homecoming gift."

Bella opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak because of the sudden tightening of her throat. Charlie had bought her car. The thought had never crossed her mind that he would even do something like this for her. She had always imagined buying herself her own car. With how financially irresponsible Renee was, Bella gave up on the idea of finding a shiny new car in the driveway on her sixteenth birthday a long time ago. She always assumed she would be the one to have to buy it. She didn't know what to say.

"Are you sure?" She blurted out. "I was saving to buy my own car. I could always pay-"

"Don't even talk like that. I wanted to do this for you Bella. Besides, I got it cheap off Billy Black. You remember him, right? From La Push."

Bella racked her brain, but couldn't come up with the face to fit the name. Only the murky image of a man with long black hair and a fishing boat surfaced. However, she couldn't be sure if this was just her grasping at straws to try to remember him.

"How cheap is cheap?" She asked, trying to steer the conversation a different way.

"Pretty cheap. Billy 's son fixed it up himself. You remember he had that accident and is in a wheelchair now, so he didn't have much use for the truck anymore."

Bella felt the knot inside her chest loosen a little. She felt better knowing that he hadn't spent a horrendous amount of money on her. Charlie watched her closely as she walked around her new truck. It was painted red, at least it had been a long time ago. There were a lot of scratches and some rusty parts, but Bella found them enduring. A smile slowly began to form on her face. She couldn't help but be relieved it was a busted up old car. That meant he hadn't been lying about the price of it.

"It's perfect! I really like it."

Charlie's eyes widened in surprise, and he started to smile as well. "I'm glad, Bells."

After putting away her things in her new room, Bella found herself roaming through the kitchen. She went through the cupboards and finally looked in the fridge. Charlie didn't have much left for him alone for the week, let alone two people. Bella ran back up to her room to find the notebook she used to write down all her meal plans and grocery lists. Bella started jotting down all the things they needed. At some point, Charlie wandered in also.

"I was thinking we could order some pizza tonight. I didn't have time to go to the store before you flew in, but I can always go tomorrow."

"You don't have to. I'm already making a list. I can go tonight before the store closes."

Charlie grunted and leaned over Bella's shoulder to see what she was writing down.

"You're making a grocery list?" He asked, disbelief leaking into his voice.

Bella shrugged before saying. "I did it all the time for mom. She was always...too busy to do most of the shopping."

Bella didn't notice as Charlie's frown deepened as he watched her.

"Bella," the sudden serious tone in his voice caused her to look up at him. "I've been living on my own for the past seventeen years. I do know how to feed myself. I know Renee can be kinda careless to put it mildly. I don't want you to think that you have to do this. I can take care of the both of us."

Bella stared dumbly at her father. She didn't understand how her making a grocery list triggered such a serious speech from him. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard such a tone in his voice. Bella shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet as she watched him. Did he think she couldn't handle something like this? Tears started to unwillingly gather in her eyes. Bella didn't know why she felt the sudden urge to start crying. Before she could even think of a response, Charlie began to talk again.

"I don't want you to feel like you have no choice in the matter. If you want to do the grocery shopping, I won't stop you, but don't think it won't get done if you don't do it."

Bella took a shaky breath. "I-I want to do it. I kinda like doing it. It makes me feel useful, you know?"

Charlie just sighed heavily and shook his head, but he didn't make any further protest. After a few moments of tense silence, Charlie told Bella that both Billy and his son Jacob would be coming over to watch the game. Bella felt a spike of fear shoot through her thinking about facing them. She didn't remember either of them and knew an awkward encounter was inevitable. Bella scrambled for a reason to avoid seeing them.

"I can go shopping now," she all but shouted.

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed. "Now?"

Bella nodded as she said, "I would rather go now and get it out of the way. Take my new car out for a spin."

Bella tried to give Charlie an encouraging smile, but it felt too forced to truly be convincing. Luckily for her, Charlie didn't protest as she gathered her notebook and a jacket. He gave her some money that would cover the cost of the groceries and told her the directions to the store. Although the ride was a little more bumpy than Bella would have liked, it was surprisingly easy to drive her truck.

Despite the face that grocery store was smaller than she was used to, Bella was starting to feel more calm just walking around inside of it. This was more of her element. She could slowly feel the muscles in her shoulders relaxing as she scratched off the items on her list. Bella even found herself humming. As she craned her head around to try to find the dairy section, she didn't notice another person walking out of the aisle right next to her before it was too late.

The sound of crashing metal as Bella's cart rammed into the side of the other one was deafening. It seemed to echo throughout the entire store much to her own horror. Bella flushed red as she started to apologize to the other woman shopping. She had flowing caramel waves of hair and the most lovely smile. Bella noticed she had deep, dark circles underneath her eyes as if she didn't sleep at night. Her eyes were very dark, almost black. They made her pale skin look almost ivory. However, this did nothing to diminish the woman's beauty. She was easily the most beautiful woman Bella had ever laid eyes on. Despite Bella nearly running her over, she genuinely did not seemed annoyed with her. If anything she looked amused at Bella's frantic attempts at an apology. This only served to further fluster Bella into a stuttering mess.

"You're fine, dear. Don't worry. No blood, no foul," she said jokingly. Her laughter seemed to fill the store.

Bella couldn't help but think there was some inside joke she wasn't getting. She had a death grip on the shopping cart as she tried to slowly to back away. Bella was trying to figure out a way to escape this terribly humiliating moment so she could go wallow in self-pity. The beautiful woman would have none of this though.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you. Are you Chief Swan's daughter? Isabella? I heard how excited he is to have you back. I'm Esme Cullen, Dr. Cullen's wife."

Bella was secretly relieved that the woman didn't offer her hand in greeting. She was even too mortified to correct Esme on her name.

"Of course," Bella said despite having no idea who her husband was.

The woman smiled, her teeth blinding under the fluorescent lights. She said anything in return. Bella wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer from continuing your errands. It's been wonderful meeting you, Isabella. I hope you enjoy Forks."

Bella watched as the woman disappeared down another aisle. She let out a large breath once she was gone from sight. Bella beat herself up about how clumsy and stupid she must have looked to the woman the whole way back to Charlie's house. She kept having to remind herself that it was her house now too.

Just as she was starting to calm down from her encounter with Mrs. Cullen, Bella spotted an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Bella groaned and banged her forehead against her steering wheel. She had completely forgotten about Billy and Jacob. Dragging herself out of her car, Bella grabbed some bags and ducked her head into her chest as she walked into the house. Maybe they would be too preoccupied with the TV to really notice her. As her luck would have it, all three heads swiveled towards her as she walked inside.

"Jacob, go help Bella with her bags," Billy said, pointing at her as she walked into the kitchen.

Bella blushed for nth this evening. "No, really it's okay."

This couldn't get any worse.

Jacob only smiled at her. "I want to help. Besides, it'll be nice to catch up."

Bella shot him a tight smile. Jacob's idea of catching up was talking all about how he had helped fix up her new truck by himself. She could tell he was quite proud of it. Oddly enough it helped calm her slightly to hear him ramble on about the car. He didn't ask any personal questions. He simply sat on the kitchen counter as she put away the groceries. Bella even found herself laughing at some of the stories he was telling her. Billy soon wheeled into the room, smirking at Jacob as he said,

"Quit trying so hard to impress her with your car talk. I'm sure Bella is probably tried after her flight."

Jacob glared at his dad as he jumped off the counter. He refused to meet her eyes as he crossed his arms against his chest. Billy rolled his eyes and shared an exasperated look with Bella causing her to start laughing. It felt nice to laugh. Jacob pouted as he walked back out into the living room causing another round of laughter from the two of them.

"Teenagers," Billy muttered under his breath. Bella smiled widely when he winked at her.

He suddenly got a more serious look in his eyes that caused Bella to sober up.

"I'm really glad you're here Bella. Charlie hasn't been able to shut up about you coming since you called him about it. I think it'll be good for him that you're here."

Bella anxiously rubbed the palm of her hand with her thumb. "I'm glad I came."

She was more than surprised to find a part of her actually meant that.

"Maybe you could teach Jacob a thing or two about responsibility. I don't know many teenagers that think to make grocery run."

Bella felt pride well up in her chest. She smiled as she said,

"Thanks, Billy."

There was a beat of silence before Billy told her that he wouldn't keep any longer. Bella told the three goodnight as she marched up the stairs. The weight of the day finally coming crashing down on her. She rubbed the side of her face as she yawned loudly. Bella glanced out the window to see it was raining. She sighed sadly as the sound of it seemed to swallow the entire room. Even with the thought that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, Bella didn't feel as miserable as she assumed she would be. She couldn't help but smile as the excited shouts of her father and Billy echoed throughout the house. This was the most relaxed she could remember feeling in a while. She knew she didn't have the need to hover around Charlie like she did Renee. Bella hadn't realized how exhausting being around her mother truly was.

Maybe moving to Forks wasn't such a bad idea after all.


	3. Two

Bella did not welcome the sound of her alarm the next morning. The rain had kept her tossing and turning all morning. The endless drone gave her no moment of peace. She half considered not even getting out of bed, however she knew the longer she put it off the harder it would be to convince herself to go to school. Bella groaned as she dragged herself out of bed and spent the morning telling herself all the reasons why she should go to school. The list was very short.

It was easy to find the high school. Bella followed the parade of cars filled with teenagers and found herself standing in front of a brick building. She keep her head down as she followed the signs towards the front office. She tried to ignore the whispers and stares that followed her. Bella sighed in relief at the rush of warm that enveloped her once she stepped inside the office. Her lips twitch at the various potted plants that decorated the small room. It seemed no one in Forks ever got tired of the vegetation there.

An older woman with greying hair glanced up from her world as Bella entered. She stood and smiled widely as Bella stepped further inside. The woman stuck her hand out eagerly as she said,

"You must be Isabella Swan! We're all very excited to have you back dear."

Bella quickly shook the woman's hand before running her fingers nervously through her hair.

"Um, it's Bella actually and I just needed to grab my schedule."

Bella only half listened to the woman as she explained to her she would have to get a signature from all of her teachers and turn it in once the school day was over. Bella already felt overwhelmed as she was being handed her class schedule and a map of the school. It seemed there was no turning back now. According to her schedule her first class was in building three. If she as in better spirits, Bella would have found it amusing that a high school with only three hundred students needed multiple buildings to hold its students.

Bella jumped when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She glanced to her right to see an oily faced teen who seemed to have no concept of personal space.

"Hey, you must be Isabella! I'm Eric," he said, squeezing his hand around her shoulder.

Bella shrugged his hand off and laughed uncomfortably. Her teeth ground together to she kept herself from going off on the guy.

"It's Bella actually."

She had the funny feeling she would be repeating that phrase all day long.

"Where's your first class? Maybe I can help you find it."

Bella shot him a tight smile. "No, I should be fine."

Bella silently prayed that he would go away. Eric had other plans.

"Really it's no problem."

Bella sighed as she handed over her schedule. Eric read over it and lamented on the fact that they only had one class together. Bella didn't feel the same. She guessed it was nice of him to show her the way, but he stood too close for comfort. It didn't help that every corner she turned down, a million of eyes were glued to her. She was at her wits end and she hadn't even started the first class. After Eric, not many people went out of their way to introduce themselves. It wasn't until her fourth class of the day that another person spoke to her.

"Hi! I'm Jessica! Where are you sitting at lunch?"

Bella stared dumbly at her. "Um, well...I don't know." She didn't know exactly what answer the girl was looking for.

Jessica smiled, her whole face lighting up. "You can sit with me and my friends! Eric told me how he met you this morning. You guys have AP government together."

Bella lips turned down into a frown. She wasn't sure how she felt about Eric after his stunt this morning, and wasn't sure how to feel about Jessica now. It was nice of her to invite Bella to sit with her at lunch. To be honest, Bella had planned on hanging out in the bathroom until it was over because she was too wound up to eat anything. But then again, Eric had been more than helpful this morning. She couldn't help but feel they wanted to been seen with her more than get to know her.

Jessica shot one question after another at Bella. She asked her all about the heat, if she had a pool to tan out by, or if there were any boys she had been interested in. Bella answered her questions to the best of her ability but didn't feel any sort of camaraderie brewing between the two of them yet. She never really gotten along with Jessica's type of person simply because it was harder for her to feel comfortable around such a chatty individual. Jessica was not deterred by Bella's lackluster responses. She happily talked for the both of them as they walked towards the cafeteria. Jessica waved towards a small group of teenagers. Bella tried not to roll her eyes when she saw how Eric suddenly sit up straighter once he saw her walking towards him.

"This is Bella! Move over Angela, make some room," Jessica said and waved her hands at a girl with dark hair who wore glasses.

Bella blushed and tried to apologize, but Angela only smiled and shook her head. She stared to nervously pick at her hands, but Jessica talked to another girl at the table. Bella couldn't remember her name, but she thought it might be Lauren. Luckily for her, Angela didn't feel the need to fill the silence. She seemed to enjoy it just as much as Bella did. She only asked if Bella had any hobbies. They quickly boned over books. For the first time since she stepped foot on campus, Bella felt a real smile spread across her face. It was nice talking to someone who was passionate about the same things as her. She liked this Angela Weber very much. However, her joyous mood was soon ruined by a blonde guy who reminded her more of a puppy and a dark skinned boy. They were walking towards their lunch table and the moment they saw Bella they bolted for the open seat in front of her. The blonde won as he wrestled his way into the seat and flashed a mocking, victory smile at the other boy. Both Eric and Jessica laughed, although Bella could tell she sounded more annoyed that anything else. Bella rolled her eyes and tried to ignore them. They were acting like children fighting over a shiny, new toy.

The blonde gave Bella a wide grin as he said,

"I'm Mike Newton. It's nice to meet you Isabella."

Bella quickly shook his hand before letting it fall into her lap. She opened her mouth to correct him, but Jessica beat her to it.

"She likes Bella actually."

Jessica smiled shyly when Mike turned his attention on her and tucked her hair behind her ears. Bella felt a pang of sorrow for the girl as Mike turned his head towards her once more. Jessica's face crumpled like paper. Bella frowned as Mike ignored Jessica for her.

"Bella it is then. How do you like Forks so far?"

Bella reclunately answered his questions, but tried to turn the conversation over to Jessica as much as she could. It wasn't her fault that Mike was useless at reading signals. Then for a rare moment, the table was silent. The atmosphere seem to shift, and everyone turned their heads slightly or glanced out of their corner of their eye to watch something. For the first time that day, Bella was not the center of attention. She looked over to see what could have caught their eye. She saw a small group of five teenagers walked in. Although, the word teenager didn't fit their description. Striking seemed more fitting.

They were the oddest group of people she had ever seen. None of them fit together. The biggest male with hulking muscles was wrapped loving in the arms of a blonde woman who reminded Bella more of a supermodel. Beside them was a small pixie like girl that bounced alongside a guy with honey blonde curls who wore a grimace. Bella thought he looked just as happy as she was to be there. The one who stood out the most to her was alone, auburn haired boy that followed behind them. His shoulders were hunched forward slightly as he stared at the floor in front of him. She could tell he was apart of their group, but he was somehow separated from them at the same time. Whether it was by his own volition, she couldn't tell. The prominent dark circles underneath all of their eyes reminded Bella of the nice woman she met in the store last night.

"Who are they?" She asked, curiosity leaking into her voice.

Jessica giggled. "Those are the Cullens."

Bella raised an eyebrow in surprise. It seemed that they were the woman's children. Although Bella thought she had seemed too young to have so many children that close in age.

"They're related?"

They certainly didn't look like it.

"No," Angela said, causing Bella to face her. "Dr. Cullen and his wife Esme adopted them. Although, she is Jasper and Rosalie's aunt. They're the Hales."

Bella's brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced back at the group in question. "Who is who?"

Jessica took over the reigns once more. "Rosalie and Jasper Hale are the blonde ones. The really big guy who looks like he's on steroids is Emmett Cullen. Alice Cullen is the really weird, small girl. I sometimes see her skipping through the hallway. They're all together, you know? Like together, together. Alice is with Jasper and Rosalie with Emmett."

That shocked Bella. She could honestly say she has never seen anything like that like before. Angela started to laugh at Jessica's scandalized tone.

"It's not like they're really related. Besides, I don't think they all grew up together either."

Bella wasn't sure that made it any less startling. "What about the other one? With the one with reddish-brown hair?"

Bella glanced at him as she said this. His eyes snapped to hers, almost as if he had heard her talking about him. She blushed, embarrassed at being caught staring and turned back towards Jessica.

Jessica giggled and tucked her hair behind her ears again. "That's Edward Cullen. He's the most gorgeous one out of all of them in my opinion. But he doesn't really seem that interested in anyone."

Jessica shared a sad, knowing look with Lauren. Bella hid a smile behind her hand as she watched them. It seemed they had both tried and failed in getting a date out of him. Bella glanced once more at the Cullen and Hale family. They seemed uninterested in the world around them. She noticed how no one seemed to sit close by them. Everyone steered clear of the group as if there was an invisible barrier that separated them from the rest of us. She didn't have time to dwell on the matter as the bell rang signaling it was time for the next class. Mike was ecstatic over the fact that he and Bella had biology together next. Bella nodded along along with everything he said, but tried not to appear too friendly. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

Mr. Banner signed Bella's slip without a word and did not make her stand in front of the class and introduce herself. He also didn't ask any questions about her day so far or how she was enjoying Forks. He was quickly becoming her favorite teacher here.

"We sit in pairs for this class since we do so much hands-on work. You'll have to be paired with Mr. Cullen."

Bella glanced over her shoulder when Mr. Banner gestured towards the open seat next to Edward Cullen. Edward's muscles tensed as she walked closer. He placed his hand over his mouth and nose as she sat down next to him. Bella frowned as she watched him slide his chair as far away from her as he could, angling his body away from her. His eyes were as dark as Esme's had been, however unlike her his held such an animosity towards Bella it made her shrink away from him. At first, she had assumed he was sick and trying to decide if he could make it to the bathroom in time, but the amount of hate in his eyes as he watched Bella made her think twice.

Bella tried to ignore him throughout the class. This proved extremely difficult as his gaze never left her. Bella tried to tell herself that he was imply sick and in a bad mood.

'Everyone has those moments,' she thought. 'He's just sick.'

But he wasn't sick. He was angry. At what, Bella could only imagine. She was mostly confused about what it was about her that could have brought out such a hostile attitude from him. Even Mr. Banner shot him a concerned glance every few minutes. Just as Bella started to gather the courage to question him, the bell rang and he was the first one out of the room.

Bella felt her eyes watering as she gathered her things. The other kids in class glanced back at her as they left the classroom. She could practically hear them whispering about her. She kept repeating to herself that he was simply sick, when Mike came up behind her and said,

"What did you do to Cullen?"

Bella clenched her hands together. "Beats me."

She couldn't get the look he had in eyes out of her head. Bella was half convinced he wanted to strangle her. He looked at her like she was the reason for all his suffering in life. Bella scowled deeply. Fuck him. She didn't do anything to warrant such a reaction.

"It's not my fault," she repeated to herself as she got into her car.

She fought tears the whole way home. The words had lost their meaning every time she repeated them.


	4. Three

It had been three days since Edward's episode, and he hasn't come back to school. Everyday she would glance at the Cullen's lunch table only to find him missing. No one seemed to overly concerned with the fact he was gone. One day she had asked Angela if this was normal for him, but she had only shrugged and said,

"Maybe he's sick. I heard he had some kind of freak out Monday in class."

Bella frowned. "Yeah, I was there."

She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. Bella glanced over at the Cullen table to find them all staring at her. Even from across the room she could see that Rosalie was glaring at her while the rest of of them were frowning. It was as if they had heard her asking questions about their brother. Bella quickly turned away and laid her head on her arms. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were blaming her for their brother's absence. She has been fighting with a voice in the back of her head that said she truly was the reason that he disappeared. She felt sick just thinking about the look in Edward's eyes as he watched her. She just wanted to know why. She didn't understand how someone could hate a person before they had even met them. Or how they could skip a week off school because of it. Bella sighed and rubbed her eyes triedly. She hated feeling like this.

Bella tried to forget Edward and focus on adjusting to life in Forks. For the first time since the seventh grade, Bella had people who wanted to spend time with her outside of school. It was a surreal feeling. Jessica had already invited her and Angela to have a girls night that weekend. Bella had turned in down, giving some half hearted excuse about spending some time with her dad. She wasn't sure if she could spend more than twelve hours in their presence without making a fool of herself.

"Edward Cullen is back," Jessica commented the next Monday at lunch.

Bella jerked up as if she'd been electrocuted. She glanced at the Cullen table to find him staring at her. Bella flushed and turned around. So he was back. This was a good thing. At least that's what Bella tried to tell herself. That meant he was no longer sick and had no excuses to act so hateful towards her no matter how horrible of a day he was having. However, her insides twisted just thinking about facing him next period. Maybe she could skip class today. It wouldn't exactly be a lie if she left saying she felt sick. Bella jumped as Angela laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Bella tried to smile at her. It came out more of a grimace. "I'm fine. I'm just feeling kinda sick actually."

Angela's brow furled and she patted Bella gently on the back. She couldn't help but tense at her actions. There was a part of her that was grateful for Angela's concern, but she was too wound up about Edward to really appreciate it. Booming laughter echoed throughout the cafeteria causing the whole table to turn to find the source. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away from Emmett as he wildly shook his head in attempts to soak them. Bella could see the slush dripping down his face. It seemed even the Cullens were taking part in the school wide snowball fight. Bella watched as Edward's body shook with laughter. Even Jasper sported a smile. She couldn't help but be enthralled by the scene. She had never seen any of Cullens emote half as much in a week than she did in this moment. From the stunned looks on everyone else's faces, Bella assumed the Cullens never have before.

She turned away and started to slowly sip on her drink. Her leg bouncing as she thought about biology. She rehearsed in her head what she would say to him.

 _I'm glad you're not sick anymore._

Then she would leave it at that. There was no need to start anything with him and risk him hating her for an actual reason. Bella turned towards Jessica when she started giggling. Jessica leaned in close and whispered into her ear,

"Edward is staring at you."

Bella tensed and fought the urge to look back at him.

"Good for him," she muttered before taking another swig of her drink.

Jessica frowned and glanced between the two of them. Bella could practically hear what she was thinking. She was most likely confused on why Bella wasn't swooning at the thought of him paying any amount of attention to her. Bella didn't care what he did. As long as she kept her head down there would be no need for any confrontation. So she ignored the eyes she could feel burning into the back of her head and the curious glances of Jessica.

As she walked to biology, she could feel her heart crawling into her throat. Bella tugged at the front of her shirt and seriously started to consider ditching. But before she could run, the classroom was in front of her and there sat Edward Cullen in all his pale glory. Bella stiffly sat down in her seat and tried to ignore him. Edward seemed to have other plans.

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen."

Bella flashed him a tight smile. "Hi."

"I just wanted to say that last week I acted very rudely. You see I wasn't feeling very well and I-"

Bella cut him off. "It doesn't really matter. I'm glad you're feeling better."

He didn't say anything in return. Bella was internally screaming. This wasn't exactly how she planned this conversation. She hadn't meant to cut him off, but Edward sounded so disconnected to what he was saying. Like an actor who couldn't properly convey the right feelings behind his lines. He didn't truly mean what he was saying and that irritated her to no end. She would rather end the conversation early than listen to him ramble out some half-ass apology. Unfortunately for her, Mr. Banner announced that they would be doing a lab today and they had to work in pairs

They didn't talk much to each other besides to confirm the answers. They were working quite fast as Bella had done this lab before at her old school. At one point, Mr. Banner walked up to see how they were doing.

"Mr. Cullen isn't doing all the work is he?"

Bella's face scrunched up in disbelief as she stared up at Mr. Banner. What was that supposed to mean?

"I've actually done this lab before in Phoenix. I was in accelerated classes."

Mr. Banner flushed and stumbled over his words. "Th-that's great! It's lucky Mr. Cullen was paired with you then, Ms. Swan."

Bella smiled politely and turned back towards the microscope. Edward starting to laugh quietly which only served to further ruffle her feathers. She gripped her pencil tightly as she wrote down the next answer.

"It's Anaphase."

"Why did you move to Forks?"

Bella frowned and turned towards Edward.

"What?" She asked, not fully comprehending why he was asking the question.

Edward's lips twitched. "Why did you move to Forks?"

Bella stared at him in confusion. She didn't understand why he was talking to her. They had been blissfully ignoring each other the entire time, why ruin that? She wondered how to answer him. It would be too rude of her to say he needed to mind his own business, despite how much she wanted to. He watched her face eagerly to see her reaction. Bella shifted in her seat when she started to realize there was something different about him now compared to last Monday. Something she couldn't place. It was unnerving.

"My mom remarried, and I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with my dad."

"So did you not like the guy?"

"Why do you assume that?" She demanded, her voice harsher than she intended.

Edward held his hands up in defense. "I'm just trying to figure it all out. I'm curious as to why you would move here."

"Phil is fine. Like I said, I just thought it'd be a good idea to spend some time with my dad so she could travel with him."

Edward nodded, humming to himself as if all the puzzle pieces had fallen together. "You moved here so she could be happy. What about yourself? Are you happy here?"

Bella glared at Edward. What was with the onslaught of personal questions? Anger built inside of her as she snapped at him.

"When did Esme and Dr. Cullen adopt you?"

Edward reeled back. "Excuse me?"

"When did they adopt you? Do you like living with them?"

"That's personal, don't you think?" He asked, his voice low.

Bella almost started laughing at the anger in his voice. The hypocrite.

"Then why do you get to ask me personal questions?"

He froze briefly before turning away from her. If he didn't hate her before, he certainly did now. Not that Bella really cared. She hated double standards. There were a few tense moments of silence. Bella started to bounce her leg once more as she glanced towards the clock. She only had to suffer five more minutes. Bella sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. They weren't supposed to speak to each other after the sick comment, let alone start a verbal spar.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried," he said, this time sounding genuine.

When Bella turned to face Edward, she suddenly realized what had seemed so off about him today. His eyes had changed color. Last week she remembered how dark they had been, but now they were lighter. Brighter even. Bella couldn't help but think they look almost golden.

"Your eyes are different today. Did you get contacts or something?"

Edward tensed and jerked his head towards the window. She could see how his jaw grounded together as he gritted out,

"No. It must be the light. They've always been this color."

Bella frowned as she watched him clench his hands together. He was lying. Bella remembered how dark his eyes had been when they first met. She remembered how much hate and disgust swirled around in them as she sat down beside him. So why was he lying? The bell rang and once again Edward was the first out of the classroom. Bella shook her head as she watched him leave. Mike tried to ask what had happened between them, but Bella deflected his questions by asking him if he knew of any places that were hiring. His face brightened as he told her how his family's store was hiring.

"I can set you up an interview and everything," he said, his smile all but blinding her.

"That'd be great. Thanks, Mike."

The rest of the week continued to be tense between her and Edward. They barely spoke unless they needed to. Bella supposed this was the best case scenario considering how hostile it had gotten between them before. This routine continued for another week until Edward offered an olive branch at her locker one day after school.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot."

Bella flushed. That was an understatement. "I think so too."

"I've been thinking, and I shouldn't have been so invasive in your personal life. It was rather ungentlemanly of me. I want us to start over. My name is Edward Cullen."

Bella laughed and said, "I'm Bella Swan. I think we have biology together."

Edward smiled widely causing Bella to as well. "Yes, I believe we do."

They weren't exactly friends after that, but a sort of alliance was built between them. They would ask each other random questions about music or favorite films. There was no more talk about her time in Phoenix or Edward's strange ability to change his eye color. They never asked any personal questions as they both knew it would destroy what fragile ground they had already built. This worked out just fine for Bella. When Edward wasn't in a mood, she found his company actually nice. For once, she started to look forward to going to school as she felt she was starting to make real friends with him and Angela. She felt she was starting to get more and more comfortable in Forks.

It was a nice feeling.


	5. Four

"Do you want to hang out this weekend?" Angela asked.

Bella tripped and almost dropped all of her books. "Wh-what?"

Angela laughed softly. "Do you want to come over to my house Friday after school?"

"Um...why?" Bella asked, playing nervously with her backpack strap.

"Because we're friends. Friends usually hang out outside of school, you know."

Bella flushed at Angela's teasing tone. Unlike the last time, Bella didn't feel completely appalled by the idea of just spending some more time with Angela. She found out that they operated on the same wavelength many times before. Besides, Angela was most likely the only one out of their friend group not to judge her too harshly if she chose to read the entire time. Bella smiled brightly she she agreed to the sleepover. She told Angela she would call her this afternoon after she confirmed with Charlie that she could. For once she found herself hoping he would say yes.

"Angela Weber, she's a nice girl. A quiet one too. Of course you can spend the night at her house."

Bella pulled her father into a tight hug. "Thanks dad! I'll go call her now."

Charlie smiled. "I'm glad you're getting out their Bells," he called after her.

Bella bounced happily over to the phone. She was slightly embarrassed by how much of a teenager she was acting like. She wasn't used to feeling this way. Bella shook her head slightly to composed herself. Angela was extremely happy when she gave her the news. Bella was even more surprised with herself when she found herself talking with Angela on the phone for over an hour. She blushed heavily when Charlie wandered into the room to tell her she needed to get homework done. She was too mortified to even look him in the eyes as she walked up the stairs. She had never needed a reminder before. Usually she was on top of things. Luckily Charlie was nice enough not to tease her later that night. Bella pretended not to notice his amused glances he sent her during dinner.

That Friday after school, Bella followed Angela to her house. It was a small, cute red brick house. Bella spotted a small swing seat in the backyard. When she questioned Angela about it, she told Bella she had a six year old brother named Thomas. Small toy cars and dinosaurs littered the floor as they walked in. Angela flushed and started to pick up toys.

"I told mom I had company coming over. I'm sorry for the mess," She muttered, not looking Bella in the eyes.

Bella tried to flash her a reassuring smile, but Angela was not paying attention. "Thomas!" She shouted. "Come pick up your toys."

"In a minute," he yelled back from the other room.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Now! Or no PJ Masks tomorrow."

"No, no, no! I'm coming. I'm coming."

A little boy with black hair came running into the room. Bella couldn't help but laugh as he gathered more toys than he could hold into his arms causing him to leave a trail of Hot Wheels. Angela shook her head as she helped him, but Bella could see the fond look in her eyes. It turns out Angela's mom was a nurse at the hospital. She usually worked third shift, so she and Bella would be watching after her brother tonight her friend said. Bella ignored Angela's attempts at an apology. She understood she had responsibilities. Bella had offered to come over another night but Angela would hear nothing of it.

Later that night, after Thomas was put to bed, Bella sat in Angela's room. It was painted a nice lavender color and more importantly she had a large wooden bookshelf filled with books. Bella's eyes greedily wandered over the spines to see what she was reading. Angela had a wide collection. Everything from classical to a few manga books. Bella was so engrossed in her books, she hadn't noticed Angela trying to get her attention. She jerked back in surprise when she felt Angela start to poke her. Bella's face turned red as she laughed softly at her.

"I know you like books, but I didn't realize how bad it was. I've asked you the same questions four times. Each at varying levels of volume. "

Bella flushed and ducked her head. "What's your question?"

"Well...I was wondering what was going on between you and Edward Cullen."

Bella blinked in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

Angela sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "The Cullens are kinda reclusive. They don't really go out of their way to talk to anyone. But then you show up, and Edward Cullen is suddenly talking to you."

Bella frowned, not understanding what Angela was trying to hint at. "So he can't talk to me?"

Angela's eyes widened and she frantically shook her head. "No, no! That's not what I meant. I just...I just thought it was weird. He's never shown interest in someone before."

Bella frowned as she felt anger rise up inside of her. She couldn't help but feel slightly offended by what she was saying.

"No offense Angela, but Forks is the most cliche small town I've ever seen. People still stare at me like I have three heads when I walk down the hallway. Not to mention all the personal questions they ask as well. I think maybe the Cullens didn't feel comfortable with it and took extra measures to make sure no one would invade their personal space."

Bella took a deep breath to calm herself. She hadn't realized how invested she was in this. She glanced cautiously at Angela to see if she was mad, but she look more pensive than angry.

"You're right. I shouldn't have pried."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Bella glanced over at the bookshelf once more and started to ask Angela questions on some of the books she's read. Angela perked up immediately. The rest of the night was spent talking of different types of literature. Her former outburst forgotten. Angela had sent her home with a few classic science fiction books and Bella promised to bring her Weathering Heights on Monday.

Charlie was waiting for her when she got home that morning.

"Hey, Bells. How was it?"

"It was nice," Bella said, holding up her new books. "Angela let me borrow some of her books."

Bella grinned as Charlie laughed and said, "Why am I not surprised?"

She had been half way up the stairs when Charlie called up after her.

"Hey, Bells." Bella turned to face him, frowning at the sudden nervousness in his voice. "I was wondering if you wanted to go fishing with me tomorrow. I can rent a boat cheap off of Harvey. He owes me one."

Bella froze. She remembered the fishing trips he had taken her on when she was younger. They had been horrible. She hated hooking the worms because she hated how slimy they were. And no matter how long they sat out there, it seemed they never could catch anything. Bella bit her lip as she racked her brain for something to say. She watched as Charlie's face dropped. He cleared his throat before turning away from her.

"You don't have to of course. I just thought maybe we could spend some more time together since I've been busy with work."

Bella felt her heart clench at his words.

"Seriously, Bells. Don't mind me. I can always ring up Billy."

Bella watched as her father walked away, his head lowered in dejection. She made up her mind then.

"Dad, don't call Billy. I'll go fishing with you."

Charlie's head appeared by the staircase. "Don't feel obligated honey. I was serious. You don't have to."

Bella flashed him a small smile. "No. I want to go."

She must truly be a masochist. First forcing herself to move to Forks, and then forcing herself to go fishing. Although, she did feel a little better seeing how Charlie's face brightened when she told him she would go. She figured she could endure a few hours of it for him. She could even bring one of her new books. It won't be too bad. A phrase she repeated to herself the entire night.

The next morning, they were up bright and early to drive to the bait shop. Bella refused to go in as she knew the smell would make her nauseous. They drove another thirty minutes to Harvey's boat place. Charlie smiled widely at her as he drove the boat down the river towards the lake. Bella gripped tightly onto her seat as the cold air stung her cheeks. She couldn't deny the thrill that shot through her. She felt her skin tingling and a smile formed on her face as she began to laugh. Charlie joined her. Once they reached the lake, he cut the engine and started to gather the supplies.

"We'll have to wait a few minutes before we cast. The motor will scare most of the fish off. Do you remember how to bait a hook?"

Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I am not touching those worms."

Charlie laughed heartily. "I guess some things never change."

Bella nodded along as Charlie rambled on about fishing. She wasn't truly listening but she could tell Charlie was having fun teaching her. She didn't remember a lot from before, mostly because she had tried to block it from her mind. Although, this time around she couldn't deny she was having a little fun. Once they had casted their rods and started to settle, Charlie began to ask questions about her night with Angela.

"I'm really glad you're starting to make friends."

"Yeah me too."

"So." Charlie cleared his throat. "Are there any boys you think you like?"

Bella jolted back. Her mind racing for an answer. Where had this come from? She blushed heavily as she stumbled over her response. Charlie seemed happy she wasn't interested in anyone. She had only been here almost a month, not nearly enough time to truly get to know someone, let alone like them she had reassured him. Bella was glad when he let the subject drop. After that, they didn't talk for a while. Bella truly appreciated this as she wasn't sure she could even form a sentence after that horrifying moment.

Another hour had passed before Bella's fishing rod began to wiggle.

"Dad! Dad!" She shouted excitedly. "I think I got something!"

Charlie coached her on how to bring the fish in. Bella squealed as it flopped into the boat and hopped around. Bella clutched her stomach as they began to laugh together. She tried to protest when he pulled out a disposable camera, but couldn't speak in between gasping breaths. The atmosphere was infectious, and she found herself unable to argue with her father as he took pictures of her with a dead fish.

When they returned home later that night, Bella had to admit fishing wasn't as bad as she remembered it to be.


	6. Five

As Bella parked her car, she took some calming breaths. She was extremely nervous about her interview at Mike's family store. He had reassuring her all day that she had the job in the bag, but she was anxious about making a good first impression. She needed this job to start saving up money for college. A sudden loud banging on her car window caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. Mike doubled over with laughter as Bella angrily stepped out of the car. She started to playfully hit him on his back.

"You scared me half to death! I think my life just flashed before my eyes," Bella exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair.

"You should have seen your face," Mike gasped out. "It was hilarious."

Bella glared and started to walk towards the store, leaving him behind. Mike's laughter followed her into the store. She winced when he slung one of his arms over her shoulder, jostling her as he crushed her to his side.

"I'll introduce you to my mom. She's excited to meet you."

Bella didn't like how much that sounded as if he was introducing her as his girlfriend. Bella slyly slipped from underneath his arm and made an excuse to use the bathroom. She patted some water on her face and took some deep breaths. She could do this. Walking back out, Bella spotted Mike talking to an older woman with greying dark blonde hair. Bella felt her heart thundering loudly as she walked closer to the pair. Without a doubt, this was his mother.

The woman flashed a large smile that rivaled her son's. "You must be Bella! I'm Melissa Newton. Welcome to Newton's Outdoor Supply Store."

Bella shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for this opportunity."

Melissa shooed Mike away to take Bella into her office. It was cluttered with papers and little knick knacks. It was oddly comforting to Bella. It almost reminded her of her mother. Renee couldn't organize anything to save her life. Bella sat up straighter as Melissa cleared her throat.

"Bella, I have all the paper work here. What I need from you is to fill out this paperwork and let me scan your ID for our files."

Bella fumbled with her wallet as she pulled it out of her pocket. "That's it?" She asked, uncertainty ringing in her tone.

Melissa smiled softly at her. "That's it. To be honest, we're a little short on staff. And besides, Mike can't quit talking about how great you are."

Bella felt blood rush to her face as she tensed. That was not where she wanted the conversation to go. She distracted the older woman with questions about her work schedule and general responsibilities she would have. Melissa gave her a tour of the store, as well as fitting her with a dark green polo shirt with the store's logo on the back. Bella thanked Melissa once more before leaving. She had tried to hug her, but Bella was faster and was able to slip away. It seemed personal space issues was something that ran in the Newton family. Despite this, Bella was honestly excited to start working there. She figured she could suffer a few hours more of the Newton's touchy-feely nature to be able to earn some money.

Mike was practically vibrating the next day. He announced to anyone who would listen that she was now working at his family's store. By lunch time, Bella was sure the whole school knew her work schedule by heart. Surprisingly, it was Jessica who rescued her from her misery. She had snapped at Mike how he had told them already a million times and needed to find something else to talk about. At first, Bella had been worried Jessica wasn't too fond of her because of her crush on Mike, but it seemed she was just as annoyed by his antics as she was. She had caught Jessica's eye and nodded thankfully. Jessica smiled in return.

Later that night, Melissa had given Bella her first task of putting together a display of tents. It should have been easy enough, but after an hour of struggling, Bella was ready to quit. She took a step back and rubbed her face tiredly. She laughed humorlessly at the sight of the pitiful display. Both tents were lopsided with random tent parts sticking out. Bella jumped as an unfamiliar voice spoke behind her.

"It looks like you need some help."

Bella turned, her eyes widening as she saw it was Emmett Cullen who had spoken to her. Her tongue fet heavy in her mouth. Why was he talking to her? Bella was too flustered to think of a response much to Emmett's obvious amusement.

"Have you ever put together a tent before," he asked, his head cocking to the side. Bella thought the action made him seem more boyish despite his large size.

She shook her head in response. Panic started to swell inside of her as Emmett stepped forward towards the display.

"No, no, no! Please don't," she all but shouted.

Emmett frowned at the desperation in her voice. Then he suddenly started laughing loudly. Bella stared incredulously at him. For the life of her, she couldn't comprehend what was so funny. He smiled widely, teeth glinting in the fluorescent lights.

"I can help you."

Bella shook her head vigorously. "It's my job."

Emmett shrugged. "My family and I go camping all the time." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if he was telling a secret. "Besides, I won't tell if you don't."

Bella bit her lip as she glanced between him and her horrible display. It was painfully obvious she had no idea what she was doing. Reluctantly, Bella accepted his offer. As she watched him, Bella never realized how alike he was to Edward. Nothing in their facial structures or physique really read as related, but Bella couldn't help but feel there was something she was missing about them. Something that lingered right on the tip of her tongue. She continued to watch Emmett as he fixed the tents and started to list the things they had in common. Both were all extremely pale and beautiful the whole Cullen family was. It was almost to the point where Bella felt it was somewhat unnatural. But there was something else she was missing. What was it? She racked her brain, but the pieces didn't fit together.

"There!" Emmett exclaimed, smiling widely. "I think you own me one Swan."

He turned towards her. His golden eyes gleaming brightly. Bella let out a tiny gasp as it suddenly hit her. Edward and his siblings shared the strangest ability to change their eye color. They all had strangely bright eyes, all golden, but the color seemed to fade over time. What were the odds of five adopted teenagers having the same eye color? Especially the way it change between gold and black.

"Thanks," Bella said tightly, not looking him in the eyes.

Emmett frowned. Bella could tell her was confused by her sudden coldness. She flashed him a small smile and thanked him again. Emmett left without another word, and Bella tried to convince herself that she hadn't been overreacting. Although she couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he did help her with putting together the display. She finally just accepted the fact she had acted rudely and made the decision to apologize the coming up Monday.

Bella was relieved when she was able to catch Emmett alone the next week. Usually, he couldn't be seen without his girlfriend stuck right by his side. If she had been there, Bella knew she wouldn't have been able to apologize since Rosalie intimidated the hell out of her. It was hard not to be scared of the blonde girl when every chance he got she would glare at Bella. Luckily Emmett didn't hold any grudges. She only had to keep her promise to return a favor to and all would be forgiven. Bella agreed and found she had formed another tentative acquaintance with another Cullen. Emmett was not shy about calling her out in the hallways or waving at her in the lunchroom, much to the annoyance of both his girlfriend and Edward.

Bella frowned as she thought of Edward. He was in one of his moods again that week. He sounded extremely vexed when he informed her that Emmett told him about how he had made friends with her after helping her out in the store. Bella didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't her fault he continued to seek her out. She couldn't help but feel Edward was expecting her to promise not to talk to Emmett again. He continued to be short and crabby with her throughout the week causing Bella to stop talking to him all together. She hadn't realized how much she had grown to like Edward's company until he started acting this way. She now felt frustrated and confused all over again. It was horrible.

Bella yelped in surprise as she burned herself on stove. Hissing, Bella quickly stuck her hand underneath some cold water. Her skin was burning. Much to her embarrassment, her father, Billy, and Jacob had come into check into the kitchen to check on her. Her cheeks burned as Charlie closely examined her blistering hand.

"It should be fine in a couple days or so," Charlie mused, gingerly dropping her hand. He cracked a smile as he said,

"However knowing you, maybe I should take you to Dr. Cullen instead."

Bella saw Jacob tense as Billy let out an angry huff. Charlie's smile dropped as he turned to face him.

"You got something to add, Billy?"

Bella was shocked at the amount of anger in his voice. Bella glanced worriedly at Jacob only to see him gesturing with his head towards the living room. Jacob shook his head sadly as their parents began to argue.

"What's going on?" Bella asked as she crossed her arms. She stared anxiously towards the kitchen when their voices began to rise.

Jacob shrugged. "They're fighting about the Cullens. My dad doesn't like them very much."

Bella laughed in disbelief. "They're arguing about the Cullens?" It sounded ridiculous.

Just as Bella was about to go break up the fight, Billy came out of the kitchen. His face was grave and angry. He looked like he had gained ten years to his life.

"Let's go Jacob," he barked, rolling towards the front door. "Now!"  
Both Bella and Jacob jumped when BIlly shouted. Jacob obediently followed his father out, shooting concerned looks at her over his shoulder. Bella stood tensely in the living room. For the first time she felt uncomfortable with the quietness of the house. She walked towards the kitchen, hesitating at the door as she watched Charlie angrily sip beer.

"Dad?" She asked quietly, not wanting to anger him further.

Charlie squeezed the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breathe. "I'm sorry you had to see that honey. I shouldn't have acted that way around you kids."

Bella frowned. "It's fine, I'm not that young. I've just never seen you guys fight like that before."

"Yeah," Charlie said, his voice tired. "We didn't until the Cullens came to town. Dr. Cullen is a good man with a good family. To be honest, I wasn't sure about his kids when they first moved here. A group of kids their age were bound to get bored in such a small town. But they haven't caused any trouble."

"So what's Billy's problem with them?"

Charlie shrugged. "He's never come out and say directly. Just told me never to invite them in the house and to be careful around them. He called them dangerous. It's ridiculous."

Bella agreed. Billy had no reason to hate them, but she suspected it was much deeper rooted. Dangerous is not a word to use lightly. Troublemakers or riffraff was once thing, but dangerous was a whole other ball game. She found herself thinking of all the curious things she had noticed about the Cullens and felt something deep inside her stir. The Cullens had started up a lot of rumors, both good and bad. What was so different about them from the rest of the town to cause such an uproar, even after a year of moving to Forks.

A small part of her wondered if Billy was onto something more.


	7. Six

The bright light shining through her window caused Bella to gasp in delight. She dashed swiftly towards her window, eagerly yanking the curtain open. She hadn't seen the sun in ages. She longed to feel it against her skin. Her heart plummeted when she saw blankets of snow coating the streets. What she had assumed to be sunlight, was just the reflection of light bouncing off the snow. Bella hung her head in dismay as she got ready for school. It felt as if she would never get to see the sun again.

Sighing heavily, Bella opened her closet to grab her hat and scarf. She frowned when she saw they were missing from their usual spot. Bella remembered clearly how she had hung those up after she had gotten home from school Friday. She hadn't touched them since, so where could they be? Bella searched her room high and low, but she couldn't find her scarf or hat anywhere. Glancing at the clock, Bella decided she didn't have enough time to worry about finding them. If she kept this up for much longer, she'd be late to school.

Running outside, Bella stopped short when she saw her dad crouching near her right front tires.

"Um, dad?" She asked. "What are you doing?"

Charlie stood, wiping his hands against his pants as he said,

"I just put some snow tires on your truck. You shouldn't have any trouble now."

Bella gawked at the silver chains on her tires. She hadn't even realized she needed them. "Aren't you going to be late?"

"Don't worry about me Bells. Where's your scarf? Or gloves? It's in the twenties kiddo."

Bella flushed. "I couldn't find them."

Charlie chuckled causing her to turn even redder. He disappeared into the house only to return carrying a bundle of knitted wool. Bella gaped like a fish as he warped a scarf around her neck and pulled the hat over her eyes. She reached out and snatched the gloves from his hands. She refused to let him put those on her.

"Thanks, dad. You didn't have to dot this," she muttered uncomfortably. She wasn't used to be taken care of like this.

Charlie shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Bells. Now we better start moving or we'll both be late."

Bella was distracted the whole way to school. She couldn't stop picturing the way Charlie put the scarf and hat on her. She hadn't been treated like that since she was a little girl. She also couldn't believe how she had misplaced her scarf and hat. She hadn't lost anything in about ten years or so. Usually if she did, it would mean double the work for her to find both her things and her mother's. She made up her mind she would ask Jessica in Trig if she had left them there. If her stuff wasn't in her closet, they had to be somewhere in the school. Maybe she could check the lost and found.

Bella hopped out of her car, too preoccupied with her thoughts to really notice anyone else around her. The sudden screeching sound of tires caused her to jump and turn towards the noise. A large SUV van had started to spin out of control in the parking lot. Bella stared in horror as she realized the van was heading straight in her direction. Fear seized her heart, and she felt her body go numb. Bella tried to run out of the way of the van, but she slipped on some black ice. She gasped in pain as the back of her head collided with the asphalt. The ringing in her ears mixed with the sounds of screams. Her vision was blurry as she looked towards the van. Bella could smell the burning rubber of tires. It was too late. The van was too close.

The sound of crashing metal was deafening. A scream rose in the back of her throat. She braced herself for the impact, but felt nothing.

"Get her out of there!"

"Bella! Bella are you alright?"

The terrified screams grew louder, but Bella didn't understand. Was she dead? How could she hear the others if she was?

"Bella, are you alright?"

This voice was closer, familiar. Her eyes snapped open to see Edward Cullen leaning over her. His eyes were dark and his mouth was curbed down into a deep frown. He looked concern for her. Bella was utterly baffled by his presence. He had been no where near her when the van started to spiral out of control. How had he gotten in between her and the van? How had they survived? Her brain felt like it was turning into to mush to try to make sense of it all.

Bella jumped when the van started to creak and groan. It was still sliding on the ice towards them. She felt panic begin to swell all over again when she realized she had no room to move her legs. They would be crushed between the van's tires and her truck. Edward swore and reached towards the van. She gasped when she saw him lift the van and push it away from her legs. The van rocked back and forth before finally settling. She felt her heart skip a beat as she stared at him in disbelief. There was no humanly way possible he could have done that.

Edward turned towards her. He spoke cautiously slow, as if he didn't expect her to understand what he was saying.

"Bella, I think you hit your head pretty hard. Are you okay?"

"How did you do that?" She all but yelled. "How are you here?"

Edward frowned. He cocked his head slightly to the side as if he didn't understand what she was asking him. "What do you mean? I was standing next to your truck. I pulled you out of the way."

Bella laughed. It was a sharp, mocking sound that echoed between them. He must think she was an idiot to believe a single word that just came out of his mouth.

"You're lying."

Edward's nostrils flared as his eyes hardened. "No, I'm not. I was right here, Bella. I think you must have a concussion. You seem extremely confused."

Bella was too enraged to speak. She feared that if she opened her mouth she would say things she could never take back. So she gritted her teeth and nodded. Bella watched as Edward's body relaxed. She could tell he was relieved she had accepted his explanation. This notion only made her more suspicious of him.

He rode in the back of the ambulance with her. She refused to meet his gaze, despite his attempts at conversation. He soon stopped trying altogether and the two sat in silence. Once at the hospital, Edward smiled at one of the nurses and walked the opposite hallway she and Tyler were being ushered down. Bella's eyes narrowed on his back as she watched him disappear. He couldn't just talk his way out of an examination. He was involved in the crash too. There had to be some kind of ethical code preventing that. Unless, he was going straight to his father, but he must have other patients as well.

Bella shook her head. Her stomach was churning and it felt like it was trying to crawl out of her throat. Her head hurt too. Tyler sat in the bed next to her trying to apologize. His voice felt like knife twisting deeper and deeper into her skull. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She felt so sick. Luckily one of the nurses noticed and closed the curtain, muffling the sound of Tyler's voice. She was too tired to fight the MRI scans and other test she was put through. Despite feeling the urge to sleep, the nurse wouldn't let her. They suspected she had a minor concussion. It would be too dangerous for her to fall asleep under these conditions. Bella compromised by asking the nurse to let her close her eyes and make sure she was awake every ten minutes.

She felt her thoughts began to wander back to Edward. Bella knew she hadn't been mistaken in what she saw. Edward Cullen had stopped the van from crushing her despite being nowhere near her. He had also lifted the vehicle with impossible ease and practically tossed it away from her. He had tried to play off her injuries to confuse her, but she was certain in what had happened. She wouldn't let him mess with her head. Her frown deepened as she realized her had tried to same technique when she had asked him about his eyes. He was hiding something. The whole Cullen family must be. Bella felt her insides twist just thinking about it.

"How is she?" Edward asked, causing her eyes to snap open. He was standing at the foot of her bed, concern clear in his eyes as he glanced between her and the nurse.

Bella wondered if it was genuine. Was he worried about her or keeping his secret?

"She's fine," the nurse said quickly, a blush staining her cheeks. "We suspect she has a minor concussion."

Edward's eyes met hers. Millions of questions swirled in her brain as they stared at one another. If he was so desperate to keep his secret, why would he have saved her? But before she find her voice, a very young and handsome man with light blonde hair and golden eyes appeared beside Edward. His smile was blinding as he glanced towards the nurse.

"Thank you, Miss Kelly. I can take care of things from here."

Bella fought a smile as the woman stumbled over the doctor. Glancing at Edward, she saw his lips twitching upwards as well. She did feel pity for the nurse though, despite her initial amusement. Dr. Cullen was extremely handsome.

"You must be Miss Swan, I've heard alot about you," he said, sending a teasing look Edward's way.

Bella felt her face heat up at the implication that he would have been talking about her. She wasn't on the best terms with Edward as of late, so she could only hope it was all good things. As Dr. Cullen checked over Bella, she noticed he had the same strange golden colored eyes as both Edward and Emmett. She found herself glancing over at Edward occasionally. Her suspicions were only solidifying by the minute. There was something was very different about the Cullen family. Something inhuman.

"Bella!"

She jumped as her dad's voice echoed throughout the room. He appeared out of breath and frantic beside Edward at the foot of her bed.

"Jesus Bells, what happened?"

"There was an accident."

Charlie huffed, exasperation clear in his voice as he said, "I know that. I got called to the school only to be told you'd been trapped in between your truck and Tyler Smith's van."

Bella paused briefly before answering him. "I didn't get trapped in between them. Edward pulled me out of the way."

She watched as Edward tensed. Even Dr. Cullen paused in his examination. These actions went unnoticed by her father. Charlie turned towards Edward, taking his hand into his own.

"I can't thank you enough son. Truly."

Bella was shocked at how thick his voice was with emotion. She hadn't realized how scared Charlie had been for her.

"It's no problem, sir." Edward's gaze strayed towards her. "Bella's a friend."

Charlie nodded and questioned Dr. Cullen about her injuries. She would have to take at least the week off of school to rest and heal. Next week if she was feeling better, she could attempt to go back to school.

"If you feel any sort of dizziness or nausea don't be afraid to call your father and come back here. I'll prescribe you a medication to help with the pain. In the next couple of weeks if your symptoms worsen or don't change, make an appointment and I'll see to you myself."

Bella nodded and her father thanked Dr. Cullen and Edward once again. Bella stiffened uncomfortably when he leaned over and kissed on her on the forehead. Another gesture that she hadn't seen since her childhood. Edward started to chuckle at her discomfort causing her to glare in return. He simply grinned wider.

Charlie soon left to take care of the paperwork, while Dr. Cullen went to examine Tyler.

"We need to talk," Bella said once they were alone.

"About what?" Edward asked, his expression closed off.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I think you know what."

There was a tense moment of silence between them. Bella thought he would try to deflect her again. Edward ran his fingers through his hair as a weary sigh passed his lips. He looked worried and upset.

"We can't talk here."

Bella nodded and hopped off the hospital bed. She beat down the nervousness growing inside of her as she followed him out of the emergency room. He lead her into a secluded hallway before stopping. He turned towards her, his eyes looked far off and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. Bella was taken back by how uneasy he looked. She felt her own apprehension hit her full force once again.

Edward's voice was low as he spoke, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.

"So? What do you want to talk about?"


	8. Seven

**A/N: Hey guys! Starting from this chapter, I plan on updating every week or every other week. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!**

"How did you do it?"

Bella watched as Edward struggled for an answer. His jaw grounded together tightly. She was surprised he was able to form a sentence between his gritted teeth.

"Do what?"

Bella laughed humorlessly. "Don't do that. Please."

Their eyes met. Edward's shoulders sagged wearily. He sighed heavily and rubbed his face tiredly.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, his tone closed off again.

Bella licked her lips nervously. "I just-I don't understand! It doesn't make any sense how you could have possibly lifted that van away from me. Or how fast you even got to me."

Edward shook his head, his eyes closed for a brief moment as if he was trying to block out what she was saying.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"There were dents of your hand in the side of fucking car!" She all but yelled.

Edward lurched forward, bringing his face close to hers. Bella felt her breath catch in her throat from the desperate look in his eyes. She hunched back into the wall as he towered over her.

"Keep your voice down, please," he said tightly.

Bella inhaled shaikly. Her fear boiling over once more. Edward's frown deepened as he watched her. He took three steps back, turning his head away from her. Although she felt grateful for the distance between them, Bella still couldn't bring herself to relax. Edward's fist were clenched tightly together.

"I can't tell you anything."

Her eyes narrowed. "Can't or won't?"

"Can't," he hissed in between clenched teeth. "You weren't supposed to-It's too-"

Edward trailed off with a quiet groan. Despite her initial fear, she was starting to feel pity for him as well. Edward had always been so composed. He was never at a lost for words nor did he have a single hair out of place. But taking in his disheveled appearance, and seeing how he stumbled over his words, did she begin truly to grasp how serious he was. Suddenly, all the blatant lies he has told made some sort of sense. He had been doing this to protect a very dangerous secret, not because he believed her too dumb to see what was clearly right in front of her. Even in protecting this secret, he had made the conscious decision to save her life despite knowing that she could never know how he did it. He had risked that exposure for her.

She was beyond grateful for that, but a small voice started to whisper in the back of her head. If she did know or even suspect something, would the Cullens kill her? Even if she promised never to voice her thoughts, would they want to leave loose ends? Carlisle and Esme didn't seem the type to kill, and Edward had just saved her from dying. But that didn't mean the other wouldn't be upset about it. It didn't mean that they wouldn't be willing to make sure she never spoke of it. Bella took another shaky breath. If she was going to die, she deserved to know what for.

"You saved me though. I just want to know how."

When he didn't say anything, Bella tried a different approach.

"I thought you said we were friends."

Edward snapped his head towards her, his eyes cold and dark. Bella flinched back as he sneered at her.

"We aren't anything. It'll be better for you in the long run to just forget this ever happened."

With that, Edward turned away from her and stalked down the hallway. Bella's lips started to tremble as she watched him disappear. She fled for the nearest bathroom when she felt her eyes starting to water. It seemed like her whole body was shaking as she stepped into a stall. She didn't even check to see if the bathroom was empty. Tears flowed heavily down her face as she cried into her hands. The stress of the day finally coming crashing down onto her. Her mind was a whirlwind of fear from the nearly being crushed to death and the possible threat once her friend and his family posed to her. She tried to calm her breathing, but it only turned more ragged. She hated to admit how upset she was at his words. She hated the disgusted look he'd thrown at her when she had said they were friends. She started to cry harder.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Jessica's concerned voice echoed throughout the bathroom.

Bella could almost laugh from how horrible this day was turning out to be.

"I'm fine. Really," she said weakly.

"Hold on! I'll go get Angela."

Jessica ignored her protest. Bella frantically wiped her face as she exited the stall. It was too late to hide the fact she'd been crying, maybe she could at least convince them she was somewhat feeling better. She was patting cold water onto her face when Jessica returned, towing Angela behind her. She refused to look at them.

"Bella, are you alright?" Angela asked tentatively.

She flinched back when Angela placed a hand on her shoulder. Where could she even begin?

"Of course she isn't!" Jessica exclaimed. "She almost got turned into a flapjack."

Angela's mouth dropped open in horror as she stared at Jessica. Bella couldn't help but start to laugh at her bluntness. Her lips twitching upwards as she watched the two start to argue.

"Guys, really, I'm fine," she said with a shrug.

Jessica rolled her eyes while Angela simply frowned at her.

"Don't be ridiculous. I was serious about the flapjack thing. My god, I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now."

Bella clenched the side of the sink tightly. She blinked rapidly to try to stop from crying all over again. She let out a startled gasp when Angela warped her arms tightly around her torso. Her body was shaking as she started to cry into her shoulder.

"Shit, Bella." Angela's voice was muffled by her shirt. "You could have died today."

Bella's lips trembled as the floodgates opened once more. Her body swayed when Jessica enveloped the both of them into a hug as well, her eyes looking suspiciously wet. She was happy no one else walked into that bathroom. She couldn't imagine the kind of teenage girl mess they looked like right now.

"We need to do something fun," Jessica announced when they all settled down.

"Like what?" Bella asked, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her shirt.

"We should have a sleepover!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jess. Bella probably needs to rest."

Jessica shook her head, wrapping an arm around Bella's shoulder as they exited the bathroom. "Bella needs to have some fun. Relax and let loose. We should be celebrating. You're alive!"

Bella smiled at Jessica's enthusiasm. "That actually sounds really nice."

Surprising, she meant it. Bella didn't want to be alone with her thoughts right now. Jessica babbled excitedly the whole way out of the hospital. Before they left, Bella went to go find Charlie and tell him of her plans. He agreed completely with the idea.

"I can take off tonight if you need me to."

Bella shook her head. "No, no. Don't do that. Besides, I won't be alone. I'll have Jessica and Angela with me."

Charlie rubbed his hand over his mouth. "Alright, but don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

"I won't."

The rest of the night was spent painting toes and watching crappy romance movies. It was a horribly cliche thing to do, but Bella found herself secretly enjoying it. She was more amused by how Angela would hound her every five minutes to ask her how she's doing. However this blissful ignorance didn't last the whole night. Soon Jessica started to ask her about the crash. She started to ask her about Edward.

"I heard-I mean people were saying he pulled you out of the way, but I didn't even see him."

Angela nodded. "Everything happened so fast."

Bella froze. Unsure of what to say. Her throat tightened uncomfortably.

"Yeah it did," she finally said. She couldn't stop picturing the loathing on Edward's face. Tears started to unwilling gather in her eyes.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Bella, are you alright? Do you want me to get you anything."

"Edward said we couldn't be friends anymore," she blurted out.

Her two friends blinked in surprise at her before sharing a concerned look with one another. Bella could tell they were at a lost for words. She felt the words start to bubble on her tongue. She couldn't stop herself after that.

"E-even after he saved me, he told me that we weren't friends, and that I should just forget he even did that."

Bella hated the hitch in her voice. She hated herself even more because despite her growing fear of the Cullens, she couldn't bring herself to tell them of her suspicions. It was both fear and an odd sense of responsibility that kept her silent. Bella wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something were to happen to the two of them if she had voiced anything about the Cullens' secret. She also felt responsible to keep it because Edward had saved her, despite acting like a complete ass about it. He had risked that exposure for her, and deep down she knew that was why he acted so callously. It was the least she could do.

"I knew it!" Jessica shouted, pulling Bella out of her thoughts. "Anyone that pretty has to have some kind of baggage. He was just an asshole the entire time! "

Her eyes were bright with excitement as she looked between Angela and Bella. Jessica bit her lip and dropped her head when the two didn't recorpate the same amount of enthusiasm as she did. Bella couldn't help but feel she was this excited because that meant she wasn't alone in getting rebuffed by Edward.

"You're right," Bella said. "He's just an asshole."

For the next two weeks, Edward continued to ignore her existence. They went back to only speaking in biology, and even then he barely spoke two words to her. She figured she should be a little more happy to be alive since none of the Cullens showed up at her house to take care of her yet. But that didn't stop how miserable she felt everytime Edward avoided her, or how uncomfortable she felt under the hateful gazes of both Jasper and Rosalie. Even Emmett was less enthusiastic in their hallway greetings. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Bella had started to entertain the thought of moving back in with her mother.

"Bella, can I talk to you?"

The small, melodious voice caused her to jump. Bella whipped around to see Alice Cullen standing behind her. She glanced nervously around the bathroom. She was alone with her. Upclose, Alice was just as beautiful and strange as the other Cullens. Her black eyes shone desperately up at her.

"I know it's been tough around here lately, but Edward will come around."

Bella's brow furled in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. She wasn't entirely convinced she wanted to hear the answer. Part of her just wanted to be done with this whole mess.

Alice sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. Bella watched as the small girl frowned deeply.

"He's just going through a rough patch. But I promise you, he'll come back around. I know it."

Bella shook her head. "I don't care anymore honestly. He can do whatever he likes."

She tried to step around her, but Alice's hand grasped onto her elbow. Her grip was hard like stone and Bella could feel the coolness of her skin through her sweater. Her heart sped up as her spine began to tingle with fear. This wasn't normal.

Alice stared sadly up at her. "Please, Bella. Trust me."

She was shocked at how familiar with her Alice sounded when she said her name. It was as if they had been friends for a really long time.

"How do you know it'll be okay?" Bella's voice was small, giving away the hope she felt in Alice's words.

The pixie-like girl smiled brightly at her. "I have my ways. You should never bet against me."

Alice winked at her before twirling out of the girls' bathroom, leaving behind both a hopeful and wary Bella. There was no way Alice could have possibly known this, but she was so sure of herself that Bella couldn't help but believe her. She was started to figure out that nothing was impossible when the Cullens were involved.


	9. Eight

"I'm so pumped for this weekend!" Eric exclaimed as he sat down at the lunch table.

Angela and Bella shared amused looks and both he and Tyler started laughing wildly. Even Mike was grinning even wider than usual, if that was even possible. What was going on with these three?

"What's going on this weekend?" She asked, curious to know what all the fuss was about.

Eric flicked his bangs out of his eyes as he said, "It's suppose to be sunny all weekend! We're planning a trip to La Push. Do you wanna come?"

"Does who want to go where?" Jessica asked as she sat down at the table.

"We're planning a trip to La Push," Mike explained. "Eric was asking if Bella wanted to come."

Jessica's eyes flickered towards Bella before landing on Mike. Her shoulders sagged slightly when Mike didn't say anything more.

"I'll go if Jessica and Angela go," Bella said. There was no way she would agree to a trip alone with the three of those guys.

Eric nodded enthusiastically. The more the merrier, he said. Jessica immediately brighter when the others agreed. Even Angela seemed to sit up a little straighter. Bella smiled as she watched her friends.

"But, it'll have to be when I get off work Saturday."

Mike laughed. "Just call in sick. Or tell my mom you want off. I'm sure I could convince her to let you go for the day."

Bella shook her head in response. "Thanks, but money is kinda nice."

Tyler saluted her. "Amen!"

This caused another round of laughter. Bella found herself genuinely grinning along with her friends and welcomed the feeling. She has been feeling so stressed out with the whole Cullen situation lately that she knew she needed some time to relax. Maybe she could even invite Jacob. She hadn't seen him since their fathers fought a couple weeks ago. It would be nice to see him again.

Later that evening, Bella felt her good mood vanish at the sight of Edward Cullen standing in one of the isles at her work. She froze when she saw him chatting with Emmett. Bella quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Maybe they hadn't seen her. Her hopes were quickly dashed she she heard Emmett's booming voice call out,

"Swan! Over here."

Bella winced as she slowly turned around. Emmett was towing a very moody Edward after him. She tried to put on a smile as they came closer She was at work after all.

"What can I help you with?" Her eyes strayed towards Edward as she spoke. They briefly made eye contact before he looked away.

"Well," Emmett said, pulling her attention onto him. "We were looking to get a couple on tents. Eddie and I are going camping this weekend."

He said this with a wide grin. Bella fought off a smile as she watched Edward glare daggers at Emmett. When he caught Bella's eye, he simply huffed and looked away once more. Although she could swear she saw his lips were twitching as well.

"What kind were you thinking on buying?"

Bella led them into a different isle where they sold most of their tents.

"Two of the single persons tents. I'm trying to teach Eddie that he doesn't need to be afraid of the dark and can sleep in his own tent this time. I mean, he's seventeen already."

Bella couldn't hold in her laughter as Edward punched Emmett in the shoulder and then the back as he tried to twist away. Emmett's laughter echoed loudly around them as he disappeared around the corner. Edward continued to glare in that direction before turning towards her. He bore a sheepish expression as he clenched his fist together. She found the sight both surprising and pitiful. She had never seen him look so embarrassed before.

"He's an idiot. Don't listen to him," he hissed.

Bella jumped when she heard Emmett start laughing again somewhere in the store. Edward's scowl deepened at the sound. Bella decided to take pity on him.

"Don't worry about it."

Edward flashed her a smile, causing Bella's heart to skip at the sight. She suddenly remembered he was suppose to be ignoring her. Bella's smile quickly faded and she turned towards the shelves.

She tried to keep her voice as professional as possible when she spoke. "Do you see anything you like?"

"Can we talk?"

Bella tensed slightly. "Well, that depends. Are you going to ignore me for three more weeks afterwards."

Edward's frown deepened. He ran one of his hands through his hair. Sighing deeply, he said,

"I've done it again."

Bella peaked over at him out of the corner of her eye. "Done what?"

"I've acted like a complete ass again."

She choked as he said the words, causing the both of them to start smiling at each other.

"Yeah you have."

"I just...it's been really hard for me and my family. I took out my frustrations on you because I was worried. But that's no excuse for how I acted."

Bella wrung her hands together nervously. She glanced up and down the aisle to make sure no one else was present.

"Worried about your secret?"

His brow furled. "Yes. I was worried about it."

"I didn't tell anyone, if that makes you feel any better."

There was a moment of silence. Bella rubbed the back of her neck as she watched him. She couldn't blame him completely for acting this way, but that didn't mean she'd continue to put up with it.

"I guess we can count this as strike two," she said. She almost smiled when she saw the way Edward straighten up. "But don't make it a third one."

He nodded, his whole body seemed to relax all at once. Before she could stop herself, she asked him if he wanted to come to La Push with her this weekend.

"Emmett and I are going camping this weekend, remember?"

Bella was sure her whole face was red. "I-of course."

 _Idiot!_ She berated herself. How could she have forgotten that?

"I-" Edward took a deep breath. "I hope you have fun. Stay safe."

Before she could respond, Edward turned and stalked down the aisle. He seemed genuine in his concern for her. Bella felt hope begin to rise up in her chest. Maybe Alice had been right. Although she was disappointed he couldn't come with her to La Push, she was happy they were at least on friendly terms again. Bella fought a smile the rest of the night.

Saturday afternoon came with a blink of an eye. Bella had packed a change of clothes to change into after her shift. Walking outside into the warm sun, she felt as if she was flying. It felt so good to be out in the sun again. Friday had been so nice. Everyone took to eating lunch outdoors. She had even gotten to wear one of her favorite sleeveless shirts. Bella didn't want to think about how this feeling would be gone come Tuesday when the clouds return.

"Bella! Aren't you excited!" Jessica exclaimed, latching onto her arm.

She smiled down at her friend. "Yeah. This is pretty great."

Jessica only squealed happily in response. She was just as excited about the sun as Bella was. Eric soon pulled up in a borrowed van from his father. The boys soon began to pack it up. Bella briefly wondered if she should help, but every time she tried she was rebuffed. Soon, she gave up entirely. She took to glancing towards the parking lot entrance every few minutes. Angela still hadn't arrived yet.

"Earth to Bella? You there?" Eric said, waving a hand in front of her face.

She blinked owlishly. "Oh, yeah. What's up?"

"There's a seat left for one more in the van. You want it?"

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but Mike interrupted her.

"You can sit next to me if you want."

She rolled her eyes. As much as she was looking forward to this trip, if this was how they were going to act the whole time Bella considered not going all together.

"I think Jessica should go in the van. Besides, I'm also driving my car. Angela can ride with me."

Eric nodded and looked towards the parking lot entrance, a slight furrow in his brow. At the sight of Angela's mother pulling in, his face brightened. Bella felt her lips curl upwards as she watched Eric hug Angela. She looked just as flustered as he was. It was cute.

Bella had teased Angela about it the whole way to La Push. Angela didn't think Eric could possibly like her back, but Bella had seen the way he looked at her. He had a crush on her for sure. Bella grinned excitedly as the arrived at the beach. She wasn't surprised to see other people out as well, taking advantage of the good weather. Although, what caught her eye was a group of dark, long haired teens playing soccer. Bella immediately picked out Jacob.

"Jacob!" She shouted, waving her hands in the air excitedly.

His head whipped around. She could see him smiling as he jogged towards her.

"Bella! Long time no see." Jacob said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Who's this?" Jessica asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow Bella's way.

Bella rolled her eyes. "This is Jacob Black. A family friend," she said, stressing the words family and friend.

Behind Jessica, Mike visibly relaxed causing Bella to frown. He really needed to learn how to take a hint. She couldn't believe he was still so focused on her when Jessica obviously liked him. Unfortunately, Jacob couldn't stay long as he was hanging out with some of his other friends. Bella felt her heart drop. She had been looking forward to seeing him. When he saw her downtrodden expression, Jacob made a promise to swing by later. Bella smiled and agreed. It would be nice to be able to catch up with him.

The rest of the day she spent goofing off with her friends. Bella had tried getting into the water at Jessica's demand, but found it was way too cold to swim. She and Angela had spent most of the time walking along the shore and looking at tidal pools while the others splashed around. As the sun began to set, Tyler pulled out a couple of six packs from the back of the van, much to Mike's excitement. He said he had convinced his older brother buy them some beer. Mike offered Bella one, but she only laughed in response.

"I'm driving tonight, I can't. Besides I think you forgot who my dad is."

Mike flushed and walked away. Eric also turned down the beers, as he was a DD too. Although Bella could tell he wasn't happy about it. At some point, Tyler, Mike, and Jessica wandered off collecting driftwood to build a fire. They even started to dance and jump around the fire pit, much to Bella's amusement. Even Angela started to unwind a little bit and cuddled up against Eric's side. Not that he was complaining.

"Bella!" A familiar voice called out, causing her to turn.

Jacob emerged out of the darkness. His lips were pulled back into a wide grin as he sat down beside her.

"How've you been? It feels like I haven't gotten to talk to you in forever."

She nodded in agreement. "No kidding. But I've been good. How about you?"

They fell into an easy conversation. Jacob talked about random things. He mentioned how he had finally gotten his hands on a Rabbit to fix up. Billy said he had to get a job to earn money for the parts. Bella jolted slightly when Jacob started to talk about his father. It brought back the fight he had with Charlie about the Cullens. Billy must know something about the Cullen's secret. Or he at least suspect something from how hostile he acted from just the hint of being in their presence. Maybe he had mentioned something to Jacob.

"Hey Jacob, why does-"

Bella was cut off by the sounds of cheers. Jessica had tackled Mike and gathered her drunken courage to finally kiss him. Tyler and Eric had started to clap. Jacob shook his head and turned back towards Bella. She could only shrug in response. Although she hoped this would wake Mike up and make him realize what was right in front of him.

"What were you saying?"

Bella took a shaky breath, suddenly nervous. Did she want to know more about the Cullens? She was already on thin ice with Jasper and Rosalie for having an inclination that weren't completely human. Was she willing to risk it to know more?

"What did your dad mean when he called the Cullens dangerous?"

Jacob frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked, confusion coloring his voice.

"When our dads got into that fight, you said Billy thought the Cullens were dangerous. I just wanted to know why."

"Oh," he said, shaking his head. "It's stupid really. He didn't mean anything by it."

"What is it?" She shifted closer to him.

Jacob scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Why does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't. I was just curious."

She frowned and turned away from him, staring out into the darkness. Jacob sighed heavily before speaking again. His tone was cautious.

"The truth is, I'm not really suppose to tell you anything."

That grabbed her attention. "Why not?"

"It's supposed to be some big family secret apparently. Like my ancient ancestor kind of stuff."

Bella leaned forward, all her attention focused on him. "What's the secret?"

Jacob hesitated, watching Bella closely. Bella tried to flash him a reassuring smile. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was so close.

"Just humor me?" She finally asked.

And like that, Jacob's resolve crumbled. "You're going to laugh at me. Promise me you won't laugh."

"How do you know I'm going to laugh?"

"Because I did when my dad finally told me why he hated the Cullens. I thought he had gone around the bend."

"So," Bella nudged his leg with her knee, "what's the story?"

Jacob glanced around the campfire to make sure no one was paying attention to them. Bella's heart hammered in her chest as he leaned forward to whisper quietly into her ear.

"He says the Cullens are vampires."

Bella froze, unable to respond. She felt laughter begin to bubble up in her chest as she stared bewildered at him. Out of all the things she had imagined, vampires was one of the things she expected to come out of his mouth. Bella brought her fist up to her mouth to block the sounds, but Jacob could see her body shaking.

"I knew it! I told you that you were going to laugh at me."

"No, no, no. It just...it sounds so ridiculous."

The two erupted into peals of laughter. Bella felt like her sides were going to bust open. Jacob leaned back towards her to whisper in her ear.

"He didn't even use the word vampire when he told me. He called them the Cold Ones."

Bella struggled to catch her breath. "Oh my god, that's even worse."

"I know!"

They didn't talk about the Cullens for the rest of the night. Around eleven o'clock, the others had started to pack up and Bella coasted a tipsy Angela into her car. She was out like a light the moment her head rested against the window. Alone in her thoughts, Bella couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the Cullens being vampires. It was completely ridiculous...wasn't it? The inklings of doubt began to swirl around her brain the more she thought about it. She had witnessed the impossible with Edward saving her from the van. Wasn't super strength and speed associated with vampires? She guessed the paleness and striking beauty of the Cullen family could also play a factor into that theory, but did that make it true. Bella started to doubt her initial dismissal of Jacob's story. She couldn't help but wonder if Billy was right?

Bella couldn't sleep the rest of the night.


	10. Nine

She couldn't believe this was what she had resorted to. It was four o'clock in the morning, and Bella sat in front of her computer googling vampires. Her eyes had begun to ache a long time ago, but she had kept scrolling, desperate for some kind of answer. Bella had no idea how to broach the subject Cullen's vampirism with Jacob again, and she sure as hell wasn't going to ask Billy about it. She had briefly considered asking Edward, but she didn't want to destroy the tentative friendship they had just begin to rebuild. The internet seemed liked her next best option.

However, she could find nothing but blogs on Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, and a few gothic nightclub websites. There wasn't anything on these websites that linked the Cullens to vampirism. It was all a mess of fangs and Brad Pitt. Bella was practically tearing her hair out trying to find information on the Cold Ones. Nothing but beer companies and breweries popped up.

When it finally reached five o'clock, Bella decided to call it quits. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to look at another computer screen again. She had slept until one in the afternoon because she was so exhausted. Charlie teased her asked if he should be worried about her falling down the wrong path. Bella could only shake her head in response, much too tired and embarrassed to really say anything. She was distracted most of the day with her thoughts. She was too embarrassed to even admit to herself that she had googled vampires, let alone try to link the Cullens to the mythical creatures. The more she thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Sure the Cullens were pale and beautiful, and Edward showed signs of superhuman strength and speed, but that didn't equal vampires. If she spun it another way, Bella thought they sounded more like some secret government experiment. Honestly, she'd believe that before she even considered vampires to exist.

That next week at school, Bella found herself watching the Cullens more closely. She and Edward had fallen back into their old routine of random conversations. He never talked about the accident, and Bella never brought it up or the story Jacob told her. When Edward invited her to his house on Saturday, she found herself baffled by the request. She was both elated and scared shitless at the thought. Despite Emmett's and Alice's warm greetings in the hallways, Bella still didn't know exactly where she stood with the Cullens and her murky knowledge of their secret.

"Why?" She blurted out, unable to help herself.

Edward laughed in response. His body shook lightly as Bella flushed and ducked her head.

"We're friends, right? Friends typically spend time with each other outside of school. Or so I am told."

Bella's lips curled into a smile. "Yeah, I think I've heard something like that."

Her curiosity won in the end, and Bella agreed to come over to his house Saturday. She didn't dare tell Jessica, as the whole school would know before lunch let out. Bella had decided to tell Angela though. She wasn't sure how her father would take her telling him that she was going to spend a whole day with a boy her own age who wasn't Jacob. As much as she loved him, Charlie could be a little closed minded about some things. She didn't want him taking this the wrong way, so she asked Angela if she would cover for her. If her dad asked she was that day they would tell him she was at Angela's house studying Saturday.

"I can't believe he invited you over to his house!"

"Keep your voice down," Bella hissed, looking frantically around to see if anyone heard her.

Angela giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Can you take pictures? No one had ever seen their house before."

"Really?"

That was surprising to Bella. Angela nodded.

"They bought a house on the outskirts of town. A big mansion, I heard. Although, I guess it isn't that surprising. Their dad is a doctor after all."

Bella hummed but didn't say anything in return. The rest of the week flew by, and before she knew it, Bella was on her way to the Cullen household. She was a bundle of nerves as she tapped her fingers furiously against the driver's wheel. She had missed one of the turns twice. Angela hadn't been kidding when she said they lived outside of Forks. _They practically lived out in the middle of nowhere,_ she thought as she turned down a road dense with lush moss and towering trees.

Her truck bounced along the narrow road, winding upwards. Bella briefly wondered if she had taken a wrong turn again. Just as she was about to turn around, there was a breach in the woods and an enormous house sat nestled among the trees. It was breathtaking. Like one of those houses you'd seen on celebrity homes tv shows. The most surprising part, that it was mostly made of glass. Although, living in the middle of the woods meant you could have a little more freedom she guessed. As she stepped out of her car, Bella could see Alice opening the door.

"Bella!" She shouted excitedly. "You're here."

Bella felt her heart jump into her throat as her nerves took over once again. She awkwardly waved as she walked up the front steps. She tensed when Alice took a step towards her, her arms raised slightly as if she was going to hug her. Edward suddenly appeared behind the tiny girl. A familiar frown pulling down at his lips.

"Alice, Bella is my guest," he said in a scolding tone.

Alice huffed and took a step back. Bella felt herself relax slightly when she dropped her arms to her side.

"You're no fun Edward. Have fun with this old fart."

Bella started to laugh at the betrayed look on Edward's face. Alice's tinkling laugh echoed slightly as she disappeared into the house. Edward muttered angrily under his breath, causing her to smile widely. Bella cleared her throat in attempt to compose herself.

"Um, can I come in?"

"Of course!"

Edward opened the door wider to allow her to step through. She stepped into a wide and open living room. Her eyes were drawn to the grand piano sitting in the corner of the room. She wondered who played it. Her mother had once wanted to learn how and had dragged Bella along for lessons. Neither of them had a natural talent for it. Renee had soon lost interest when she wasn't progressing how she wanted and jumped onto the next thing that grabbed her attention.

Bella shifted slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how pristine and clean everything looked in his house. She became very aware of her shabbier appearance, and felt as if she would break everything in the house just by looking at it.

"Your house is beautiful," she finally said, pulling off her coat.

Edward took her jacket from her and hung it on the coat rack near the door. There was a knowing smile on his lips as he said,

"Esme will be happy you think so. She designed the house herself."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Interior design is one of her many hobbies."

"Right."

The silence hung thickly between them. They stood staring at each other, both unsure of what to say or do next. Bella had started to bounce on her heels as she felt awkward laughter bubbled in her throat. She wanted to fill the silence, but didn't know how. She glanced around the room to find something to talk about. Bella spotted a couple gaming consoles sitting underneath their TV. She wandered over.

"Do you play videogames?"

Edward's head cocked to the side. "No, not really. Emmett usually does. Jasper will join him every once in a while. Why?"

Bella stumbled over her words and started to ramble in her nervousness.

"I just...I've always wanted to play, but I'm not very good with my hands. I have bad coordination, that's why I quit piano lessons."

"You played piano?" Curiosity was heavy in Edward's voice.

Bella flushed. "I certainly tried. Like I said, I wasn't very good at it. I could never get my hands to function properly."

Edward laughed. "I could teach you."

"You play piano?"

He gestured towards the piano she had previously been admiring, saying that it was his. Bella wasn't that surprised to learn he was the one who played. It made more sense to picture him playing Moonlight Sonata rather than Call of Duty. She hesitantly followed as he walked towards it. Edward patted the empty spot on the bench beside him as she hovered behind him.

"Don't be shy. I don't bite."

He said this with a wide smile. Bella rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. The comment hit a little too close to the vampire thing. However, her discomfort didn't last long. She found herself relaxing for the next hour as Edward attempted to teach her Chopsticks. She felt her face was going to be permanently stained red from the embarrassment. Edward was trying to be supportive, however he couldn't hide his amusement at her failure for long.

"I told you I was horrible!" Bella cried, pulling her hands away from the ivory keys.

"That's not a very good attitude. Besides, you're not the first person to struggle with this. It takes a lot of practice."

Bella smiled gently as Edward began to play a piece she didn't recognize.

"How long did it take you?"

"Well, my mother taught me when I was younger."

"Esme plays as well?"

The music suddenly stopped as Edward froze. Bella frowned as she watched him before she made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. She had forgotten Esme was his adopted mother, not his birth mother.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so-"

"It's okay. I should have been more clear."

"I'm sorry," Bella said, turning away from him.

She jumped slightly when Edward grabbed her hand. Goosebumps rose up across her arms from how cold he was. His hand was felt absolutely frigid against her skin.

 _He called them the Cold Ones._

"Honestly, Bella. It's okay. Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago."

She didn't feel much better, despite his kind words, but when Edward smiled Bella found herself returning the favor. He didn't let go of her hand, and Bella didn't try to pull away.

"Bella honey, do you want anything to drink or eat."

She jumped at the sound of Esme's voice behind her. She hadn't even heard her come in. From the stunned look on Edward's face, neither did he.

"I-can I have some water please?"

Esme nodded, her eyes flickering between their intertwined hands and her face. Bella flushed and pulled her hand away. Esme disappeared up the stairs and Edward began playing again. Bella played with the hem of her sleeve as she asked,

"What are you playing?"

"It's a song I composed."

"You composed this?"

Edward grinned at her. "Is that surprising?"

Bella snorted as she said, "No, I guess not."

Esme soon returned with a glass of water. She hounded Bella about eating until she promised to come find her if she felt hungry. Edward gave her a small tour of the house. It was vast and no less impressive on the inside compared to the outside. He suddenly turned sheepish as they stood outside one of the rooms.

"This is-this is my room."

Bella felt her lips twitching hearing how he stuttered a little bit. It was a rare occurrence after all. As she walked in, Bella decided Edward's room easily had the best few. As with much of the house, his outer walls were mostly glass where a vast forest sat before her. She noticed a small river that ran behind the house. He even had a balcony to step out on. She couldn't help but gasp at the sight. It reminded her of the kind of pictures on postcards.

"It's beautiful. You must be the favorite."

Edward barked out laughter. "I was the first."

There was a bitterness in his voice she hadn't been expecting. It seemed she had hit a nerve with him. Bella rocked back and forth on her heels as she glanced around his room, unsure of what to say. She noticed Edward had a huge stereo set where cases upon cases of CDs sat. In some of his shelves she spied some cassette tapes and vinyl records as well. He was a music fanatic it seemed.

"Is that a Nickelback CD?" Bella asked, laughing. She was happy to change the subject.

"I have a few," he said with a shrug. He smiled as Bella began to ask questions about his collection.

The rest of the day went by too fast. Bella knew she had to leave as it was getting late, but was surprised by how disappointed she felt. She truly did like spending time with Edward.

"I guess I should go soon," she said, her displeasure obvious in her voice.

Edward frowned. "Yeah I guess so. I'll walk you out."

"It was nice seeing you again, Bella," Esme called out after them.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen."

Her smile was blinding. "Call me Esme."

Bella nodded. Alice and Jasper sat in the living room playing chess. Bella felt herself begin to tense up when she saw him. Neither Jasper nor Rosalie were very friendly with her. She didn't know how they would react to her in their house. Edward stepped out in front of her, blocking her view of him. She could see how tense his shoulders were. It seemed their coldness towards her hadn't escaped his attention as well. Alice stood when she saw them at the top of the stairwell, she followed them as they walked outside.

"You'll come back again, won't you Bella?"

"Of course. Maybe we could hang out sometime."

Alice's entire face lit up and she shot a victory glance Edward's way. "I can't wait for it!"

Edward shook his head as she disappeared back inside the house. "I'm sorry for her. She can be kinda eccentric at times."

"Alice is fine."

The awkward silence returned as the two stared at each other. Bella briefly wondered what she should say or if she should even do anything. Edward's golden eyes shone brightly as he watched her. Bella remembered them being black the day before. She thought about the story Jacob told about the Cullens. Billy hated them because he thought they were vampires. Bella knew and had witnessed some of the inhuman things they were capable of, but did it matter? None of the Cullens had attacked her as she originally feared they would, and Edward was becoming a close friend. She had spent the how day in his presence and was already regretting the fact she had to leave.

Bella felt her body move before her mind could catch up. She wrapped her arms around Edward and pulled him into a hug. She noticed how his body was unnaturally cool and hard as she laid her head against his chest. She couldn't bring herself to care. Edward tensed before relaxing slightly. He gingerly placed his arms around her as well.

"I'm sorry," she said before pulling away.

Edward smiled. "Don't be."

Bella nodded, feeling her face heat up a little. "I should probably get going."

"Drive safely."

"I'll see you at school."

Bella watched as Edward grew smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror. He waved one last time before the trees swallowed him. There was a warm feeling in her chest that seemed to radiate out into her entire body as she drove home. She made the decision then that whatever Edward and his family was, it didn't matter. Edward meant something to her and she wanted to hold onto to that.


	11. Ten

"Bella! Mike said yes! He said yes!" Jessica shouted in her ear as she excitedly shook Bella back and forth.

Bella smiled as Jessica continued to squeal happily. "I knew he would."

It'd been two weeks since the La Push trip and Mike finally started to focus his attention on Jessica since their kiss, much to her relief. Every once in awhile Mike would shoot her curious glances whenever he was with Jessica, but soon gave up once he realized Bella was nothing but elated at the fact they were together now. Jessica had asked Mike to the dance that morning, but they were still trying to convince Angela to ask Eric.

"I don't know guys."

Bella rolled her eyes at her friend. "What's the worse that's going to happen?"

"He'll say no," Angela said quietly, dropping her head into her hands.

Bella let out a loud groan as Jessica exclaimed,

"Oh my god, just do it already. You've been going back and forth for confident! Believe in yourself!"

"It's just...he hasn't said anything about the dance. I don't even know if he wants to go or not."

"It is girls' choice," Bella pointed out, "maybe he's waiting for you to ask him."

Jessica nodded in agreement. After a few more minutes of coasting, they finally convinced Angela she should ask Eric out to the dance. They watched closely as Angela approached Eric by his locker. Bella smiled as Jessica giggled and clung onto her arm as the two began started to talk. They were too far away to make out what she was saying, but Eric smiled brightly and shook his head enthusiastically. Angela lit up like a Christmas tree and shot Eric shy glances over her shoulder as she walked back towards them.

"Well?" Jessica asked eagerly. "What did he say?"

"He said yes!"

The two girls squealed as Bella began to laugh. They started to ramble about the dresses they needed to buy and the best place to get them.

"We can go to Port Angeles. Make a day trip out of it," Jessica suggested.

"Can we do it this Saturday? I have to go to a school play for my brother next weekend," Angela said before she turned towards Bella. "Do you want to come?"

Bella blinked in surprise. "But I'm not going to the dance."

Jessica shrugged. "So, you can still help us pick out some dresses."

"Why aren't you going?" Angela wondered.

Bella laughed mockingly. "Are you kidding me? I'd end up leaving in a stretcher."

Jessica smirked as she circled Bella. "There isn't anyone you want to go with? Not even a certain bronze-haired Cullen?"

Bella's face grew hot as she stumbled over her words. Neither Jessica or Angela looked really convinced when she said they were just friends. Her traitorous mind started to conjure images of her and Edward at the dance together. She could imagine him picking her up at her house as it was the more 'gentlemanly' thing to do. Would he want to slow dance? Would he laugh at the way she would inevitably stumble over her own feet? Bella started to shake her head to try to free herself from those thoughts. She had no interest in going to the dance. At least that's what she tried to tell herself, but found she was distracted most of the day daydreaming about Edward and the dance.

Speak of the devil, Edward stopped her as she was putting her stuff into her truck after school.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked, his tone serious.

Bella's heart thudded loudly in her ears. She watched as his lips twitched upwards, as if he was fighting a smile before turning serious once more. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to ask her to the dance despite it being girls choice. Bella played nervously with her sleeves as he spoke.

"Will you? Bella?" Edward asked, lightly touching her arm when she didn't immediately respond.

Bella jolted out of her thoughts as he touched. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts, she hadn't heard a single word that came out of his mouth.

Her face was burning as she asked,

"Will I what?"

Edward laughed lightly. "I was wondering if you would go out to diner with me Saturday."

Bella blinked owlish. "Dinner? With you?"

He hesitantly nodded. "Yes, me."

"Like a date?" She asked breathlessly.

Edward shifted, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. "Yes like a date. Unless...unless you don't-"

"No!" Bella all but shouted. "No, I would love to go. It's just I made plans with Angela and Jess this Saturday."

Edward's head dropped. " Of course. Maybe another time."

Bella bit her lip. "Maybe."

The whole encounter was closely monitored by the students of Fork's high school. Bella could feel the eyes on her as she pulled out of the parking lot. Without a doubt, everyone was trying to guess what exactly they'd been talking about. Jessica wasted no time hounding her the next day about what he had said.

"He...he just asked me out," she said awkwardly.

Jess gasped dramatically. Even Angela seemed taken aback by the news.

"You told him yes right?" Jessica demanded.

Bella flushed and shuffled uncomfortably. "I told him I had already made plans with you guys."

Jessica sat in stunned silence as she stared bewildered at her. Angela started to giggle, her body shaking as she covered her mouth with her hands in attempts to muffle the sound.

"You're crazy, Bella. Edward fucking Cullen asked you out on a date and you said no."

Bella frowned. "But we made plans."

"You cares! You should totally go! Jess and I will be fine on our own."

Jessica nodded in agreement. "Totally! You have to go say yes. Like right now!"

Bella shook her head, more amused than anything else. "We're in the middle of gym class, Jess."

She rolled her eyes. "You're just scared."

"I'm not scared. It's just we're in class and I don't know if I'll catch him before he leaves."

"You wouldn't be making excuses right now if you weren't."

Bella turned away, lost in her thoughts. Jess wasn't wrong. Edward hadn't brought up going out another time since he first asked her Monday. She had never felt interested enough in someone before and wasn't sure what was the right protocol with this kind of stuff. Mike had no problem showing his interest and trying to get Bella to hang out with him before. It wasn't like she and Edward had the smoothest history. She was afraid he had changed his mind about going out with her in the end.

Bella jumped as Angela laid a hand on her shoulder. "Bella, you're overthinking this. Do you like Edward? Do you want to go out with him?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Then do it. There's nothing stopping you, but yourself."

Bella felt her mood skyrocket at her friend's words. Angela was right. She wanted this. Why not go for it? She walked with renewed energy towards the parking lot, eager to find Edward. She had caught him just as he and his siblings were getting into his car.

"Edward!" She shouted, causing him to whip his head around.

Edward smiled softly as she walked over. Bella felt all the confidence she gathered faded as she glanced nervously at his siblings inside his car. Emmett and Alice watched greedily through the back window, large grins on their face. Edward turned and hissed something underneath his breathed. The two turned away, laughing so loud Bella could hear them outside the car. Bella's face started to burn when Edward turned back towards her.

"Sorry about them. Did you need something?"

"I just-I just wanted…." She just wanted to jump off a bridge. "Yes."

Edward's brow furled as he asked, "Yes?"

"It looks like my weekend just cleared up."

A brilliant smile lit up Edward's face, causing Bella to smile as well. He told her he would pick her up Saturday around six. Bella couldn't wipe the smile off her face the entire night. She even started to watch the baseball game with Charlie, not that she even paid attention to it. She was too distracted with her date with Edward. Soon, Charlie became curious as to what had her so cheery.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Hmm?" Bella asked. She hadn't heard what he had said.

"You seem extra cheery today. Were you able to find that book you were looking for? The Count of Monte Carlo?"

She laughed at her father's words. "It's the Count of Monte Cristo, and no."

"Then what's up kiddo?"

Bella opened her mouth only to close it. Her body tensed as her nerves sat on edge. How was she supposed to tell her father she had a date?

"Well...um-I have a date tomorrow," she said meekly.

Charlie straightened in his recliner, suddenly on high alert. "A date," he said slowly as if he was testing the words out.  
Bella could only nod. Her throat tightened as she watched her father. Would he tell her she couldn't go.

"With who? What will you be doing?"

Bella gulped nervously. She felt as if she was under interrogation. _That's what you get with a cop as a father,_ she thought.

"Edward Cullen."

This surprised Charlie. "Doctor Cullen's kid? He's the one who helped you with Tyler's van, right?"

"Right."

Charlie hummed and scratched his face. "Right. And what will you be doing?"

"We're going out to dinner."

"Where?"

She froze. In her excitement, she had forgotten to ask Edward where they would be going. Bella wrung her hands together nervously as she said,

"I don't know. But he's picking me up tomorrow around six."

"I'll ask him then," he said as he stood to go into the kitchen.

Bella followed him, alarmed by what he said. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Charlie turned to face her. "I'll be meeting him tomorrow when he comes to pick you up."

"Dad, please don't-"

"No, no. I'm your father. It's my job to scare the living hell out of anyone who wants to date my daughter."

She laughed awkwardly, not sure what to say. She was already nervous enough about her date. Now with the added pressure of Edward meeting her father, she briefly considered cancelling all together. That night she was a mess of emotions. She circled around her room in a hazy cloud of anxiety as she tossed around different outfits and worried about her date. She would have liked to call Jessica, but it was already so late and Bella knew she and Angela wanted to get an early start on their day tomorrow that she decided against it.

The next day crawled by. Bella tried to catch up on some reading, but found herself distracted. As it drew closer to six, Bella started to pace around the house, doing little things to occupy herself. Charlie was greatly amused by this. He had stated she would burn a hole in the floor if she didn't stop pacing. She glanced at the clock, jumping when the doorbell rang. He was here at six o'clock, right on the dot. Bella practically ran her father over running towards the front door.

Yanking the door open she found a neatly dressed Edward holding a small bouquet of red roses and baby's breath.

"I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you liked," he said quickly. "I hope you like these."

Bella smiled shyly. "They're great."

She glanced nervously at her father as he wedged himself in between her and Edward. Edward smiled brightly and suck his hand out.

"Hello, sir. My name is Edward Cullen."

Bella dashed towards the kitchen to put her flowers in a vase. She didn't want to leave the two of them alone for long.

"Would you like to come in, Edward? Your hands are freezing, son."

Edward laughed softly. "Thank you, sir, but I'll have to come in another time. Bella and I should probably get going soon. We have a reservation at seven thirty."

"Reservation? Where are you two going?"

"To Bella Italia. It's a restaurant in Port Angeles. My father recommend it."

Charlie warped Bella into a hug, causing her face to light up. "You kids be safe. Be back by eleven."

Edward nodded and placed his hand on the small of Bella's back. "Of course, sir. It was nice meeting you."

He had opened the passenger door for her, nothing less than what Bella expected from him. The hour ride to Port Angeles was not as awkward as Bella feared it was going to be. Edward had brought a couple CDs for her to choose from. She jokingly chose the Nickelback CD and Edward teased her the rest of the way. They made it to the restaurant in record time. Edward helped Bella out at the front of the entrance before he got back inside to park the car. Bella couldn't help but smile as she watched him. Her heart was fluttering wildly in her chest. Her mother would never believe that she went on a date. She could hardly believe it herself.

"Hey, sweetheart," someone said, causing Bella to turn.

There was a group of men passing the restaurant. At first Bella thought they were talking to someone else, but she was the only one outside. She warped her coat tighter around her body as the men began to laugh.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment?" The same man spoke while the others jeered. "Why don't you come hang out with us?"

Bella frowned and shook her head, refusing to look at them. She turned to walk into the restaurant where she was sure they wouldn't follow her when someone roughly grabbed her elbow. A gasp tore through her lips as the man spun her around, pulling her closer to him. Bella tensed and began to try to pull away. This only made him and the others laugh. It was a horrible sound.

"That's not very-"

The man was cut off as he was shoved back by an enraged looking Edward. His lips were pulled back into a sneer as he growled at the men,

"Get your hands off of her."

The other men in the group looked towards their leader. A few began to laugh, but there was no humor behind the sound. They looked utterly of Edward. Bella nervously watched as he stepped closer to the group, his whole body tense like alive wire. She leapt forward and latched onto his arm, pulling Edward's attention away from the men.

"Let's just go inside," she muttered nervously.

Edward's eyes were pitch black now. They hadn't been before.

"Listen to your girl, pretty boy," one of the men called out.

A snarl ripped through Edward's chest. It was an animalistic sound that caused all of them, even Bella, to step back in fear. The group of men finally left as Edward started them down. Every once in awhile they would nervously glance over their shoulder at him before they disappeared down the road.

"Edward," she asked, her tone uncertain. "Are you alright?"

He turned towards her. Edward's eyes were still dark, but they seemed to be lightening. His jaw was clenched tightly as he breathed raggedly through his nose. Bella tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on his arm.

"Really, it's fine. They didn't do anything."

"You don't even know what they were thinking," he bit out, glaring into the darkness where the group had left.

Bella frowned in confusion. "What they were what?"

Edward glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. His whole body was tense as he watched her. There was a wild, uneasy look about him that reminded her of that day in the hospital. Bella took a shaky breath when she realized this had something to do with his family secret. He was not kidding about the mind reading. Edward let out a weary sigh.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

He sounded defeated as he spoke, but not surprised, as if he was expecting this to happen. Bella hesitated in her answer. She had been looking forward to this date with Edward, but whatever secret he had was beginning to rear its ugly head. She took a deep breathe to try to calm herself. Angela's words started to float around her mind.

 _Do you like him? Do you want to go out with him?_

Yes.

"Let's go inside."

Edward's eyes were wide as Bella took his hand and led him into the restaurant.

"Are you sure, Bella?"

Bella smiled at how skeptical he sounded. "I'm sure."

His whole body seem to slowly unwind as he smiled down at her. Edward's eyes were a bright golden color now.


	12. Eleven

Bella was thankful for the warm air inside the restaurant. Although she could feel the coolness of Edward's skin, she still held on as they walked up to the hostess. The woman wore a bright smile, but Bella couldn't help but notice the way her eyes were glued to Edward. She and Edward shared an amused look as the woman began to stumble over her words after he had told her of their reservation.

Dinner was almost normal. The conversations that flowed between the two of them were as easy as they've always been, but there was something holding her back. There was a nagging voice lingering in the back of her mind as they talked. Bella couldn't stop thinking about what Edward had said about his ability to read minds. She found herself curious and terrified at the same time in trying to piece it together. If what he said was true, could he read her mind? Was he doing it right now?

She watched Edward closely. He made no outward reaction to her thoughts. She continued to watch him. She noticed how Edward had ordered a soup, but he hadn't touched it.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

Edward's brow furled. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't eaten anything," Bella said, gesturing towards his untouched plate with her fork.

A tight smile stretched across his face. "Ah."

Edward picked up a spoon and dipped into into his soup. He awkwardly brought it up to his lips. He grimaced as he swallowed, as if it was painful for him to do so. Bella pursed her lips as she watched him. A heavy sigh spilled from between her lips. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

"What did you mean about the mind reading?"

There, she had said it. Bella watched as Edward tensed, going completely still. Neither spoke for a few minutes. Edward grinned, however it was more sad than anything else.

"Nothing seems to get past you," he said, his tone had a bitter edge to it.

Bella frowned wrung her hands together in her lap, unsure of how to respond. "I guess not."

"I...are you sure you want to know? There's not going back."

Bella's heart thudded loudly in her ears. "I think it's a little too late for that."

Edward nodded, yet was hesitate to speak. She could tell he was having a hard time voicing his thoughts.

"I can read minds from a certain distance. It's apart of my secret, I suppose. My gift, if you want to call it that. When those men," his lips curled into a snarl as he spoke, "approached you I could hear their thoughts about you."

"So...you can read everyone's mind?"

Could he hear her now?

Edward laughed, the sound somewhat sour. "Everyone but you."

Bella rose an eyebrow. "Everyone but me? That seems kinda convenient."

She didn't think he was lying, yet she couldn't help but question how it seemed she was the only one immune to his gift. They were interrupted by their waitress. Her eyes focus only on Edward as she asked how their meal was going and if she could get them anything else. Instead of turning her away, like Bella thought he would, Edward turned towards the woman and said,

"She's not my sister. We're on a date right now."

The woman reared back, her face coloring as she started to stumble out an apology.

"I-I hadn't realized I said that out loud. I'm sorry. Let me know if there is anything I can get you."

Bella started after the woman, baffled beyond belief. Her tongue swiped across her bottom lip and she glanced back towards Edward. He refused to met her gaze, as if he was afraid of her reaction. She has almost ashamed to admit the thought of running crossed her mind. Things were never simple around him it seemed.

"Jesus Christ," Bella whispered, unable to to truly believe what she just witnessed. "Can you do that all the time or is there a switch?"

Edward frowned and shifted uncomfortably, whether from the question or the situation Bella had no clue.

"I can't turn it off."

"So you can read everyone's mind right now?"

Edward gave a jerky nod. "All except yours."

"Why not mine?"

"I haven't gotten the slightest clue. You're just...different."

Bella glanced around the room. "What does it sound it like?"

"Like a constant buzzing. I get little clips of what people are thinking. If I focus on a person I can hear them clearly."

"It must be terrible."

Edward nodded, his eyes boring into her. "You're taking this a lot better than I originally thought you would."

Bella shook her head. She felt as if she would faint at any moment. "I'm taking this horribly. You're lucky you can't hear my thoughts, I would have left by now."

Edward flinched back. "Really?"

His voice was small. He was obviously hurt by what she said. Bella sighed and rubbed her hand over her mouth.

"That's not what I meant. It's more of a privacy thing. How would we be able to set up boundaries if you could hear everything I was thinking? It wouldn't be fair."

Edward pursed his lips and looked away from her. "I'm in better control of myself now. My family and I have many boundaries with all of our gifts. I protect their secrets."

"What do you mean? Can your family read minds too?"

"With...our secret sometimes we can get different gifts. Not everyone has one. Alice and Jasper have different gifts. Only I can read minds."

Bella leaned forward, both intrigues and terrified. "What are they?"

He hesitated in his answer. "Alice has visions. She can see the future for lack of better words. Jasper is an empath. He can sense and control emotions."

Bella dropped back into her seat completely dumbfounded. "That sounds like a nightmare house."

"Imagine living in it."

Bella could feel her hands starting to shake. This was getting to be too much. She's not sure how much more of this she could handle.

Edward frowned as he watched her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, his tone full of concern.

It only made her feel guiltier as she said, "I think we need to go."

He nodded and called the waitress over. The two didn't speak much as they exited the restaurant. Edward lead her to where he had parked his car. There was a tense air between them. Bella couldn't offer any words of reassurance to him as she had reached her boiling point with his whole family secret ordeal. She needed time to process this. She needed time to think. It was becoming somewhat overwhelming. Edward just walked silently beside her, keeping his hand at the small of her back as he opened the passenger door for her.

They were 20 minutes into their drive when he spoke again.

"I'm sorry if I've made you upset, it wasn't my intention. I just...wanted to be honest with you. I wanted you to know what you were facing. I understand if you don't feel comfortable coming to my house anymore."

Bella struggled to answer. "It's not that. It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand."

They didn't talk the rest of the time. Bella didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She was left alone with her thoughts, tangled in different theories. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she deserved to know. Edward wasn't human, that much was obvious. If she and Edward were going to pursue any type of relationship, she needed to know what she was getting into.

It wasn't until they stopped outside her house that Bella gathered to courage to speak. Partly because she knew if she needed to, she could run.

"Edward, you said you wanted me to know what I facing, right?"

His fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel. His jaw locked as he said, "Yes, I do."

Bella took a shaky breath. "What are you?"

His body seemed to sag with defeat as he stared at Bella. His eyes were wide and fearful causing her to tense. She knew he would tell her. He looked too scared by her reaction not to being telling the truth.

"We're vampires."

He whispered it so softly, Bella wasn't sure she had heard him right the first time. Vampires. Jacob had told her her, but she hadn't believed, not completely. She tried to grasp onto something tangible with the Cullens, something human. Her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn't breath.

"Bella? Bella are you alright?"

She jumped back when Edward placed a hand on her shoulder. Bella pressed her body as tightly as she could against the car door to put some distance between her. Her mind screamed at her to run but her body was not responding. Edward held his hands up in surrender as his eyes turned glassy, as if he were going to cry.

"Please, Bella. Please let's just talk about this."

She let out a harsh laugh. "Vampires drink blood, right?"

"I-right."

"Was all of this to get me? Do you want to kill me?"

He hesitated and it was all she needed to know. A sob bubbled from her chest as she frantically reached for the door handle. This time Edward tried to restrain her.

"Wait! Please, Bella," he said as he latched onto her wrist. "It's not like that. Humans are just naturally more enticing with their scents. We don't kill humans! I would never hurt you."

"Get your fucking hands off me!"

"Bella-"

"Now! Let me go."

Bella flew out of the car the moment he released her. She refused to look back as she stepped inside the house. Wiping the tears from her face, Bella trudged up to her room. Charlie tried to ask her questions about her date, but Bella played it off as being too tired to talk. He had uneasily accepted her excuse, telling her she could talk to him about anything. Bella nodded and hid in her room. Once again, she had another sleepless night.

Jessica called the next day and she told her that her date just didn't work out.

"What do you mean 'it didn't work out'?"

"He just...Edward isn't exactly who I thought he was."

"Wh-"

"I just don't think it's going to work out Jess."

"Oh, okay. If you want Angela and I can come by? Have another girls' night?"

Bella laughed but the sound was hollow. "I got a lot of homework to do. Maybe we can another time."

Bella continued to ignore the Cullens, and they her. Not even Rosalie glared at her in the hallways. She said nothing of their secret and they said nothing to her. She figured she was safe as long as she keep her mouth shut. Bella was somewhat grateful for the distance but it didn't stop the nightmares. They were always the same. Her being chased in the woods by shadowy figures. She was never fast enough. They always caught up to her. After they attacked the dream would shift, and she found herself floating through nothingness, still feeling deathly afraid.

Surprisingly, it was Alice who was the first to sought her out. Edward, despite how miserable he appeared, never once tried to reach out to her. They were cordial to each other in biology, but that was about it. She had returned home one day to find a sticky note taped onto her window. At first she had thought it was from him, but the handwriting didn't match.

 _We have a lot to talk about. Forks Cafe tomorrow at 4 o'clock. Please come._

 _Alice_

Her initial response was to throw the note away. She had nothing to talk to Alice about. What was done, was done. That was it. However, that didn't stop her from eyeing her trash can every few minutes. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. She was trying to focus on homework, but found herself unable to. She was too preoccupied with what ifs. With a angry huff, Bella pulled the crumbled note from the waste bin. Opening it, Bella debated on her next course of action.

On one hand, Edward and his family were vampires. Vampires that no doubt thirsted for human blood. He had all but admitted to having some kind of thoughts of drinking from her. On the other hand, Edward had said that he and his family didn't drink human blood. If they didn't, than what did they drink?

Bella debated with herself the rest of the night. Back and forth she went until she finally decided to go. Alice wanted to meet at the coffee house. It was a public place. She wouldn't be alone with them and they couldn't hurt her in public, could they? God she was dumb. She must have been the biggest idiot in the world to go through with this, she thought as she parked outside the coffee shop.

 _You big dumb, stupid, idiotic-_

"Bella!" Alice called out softly, over here.

Alice sat at a table with a tense, haggard looking Edward. Bella took a deep breath as she walked towards the pair. There was no backing out now.


	13. Twelve

Alice smiled as she greeted Bella, but it seemed off. She seemed less animated than usual. The grin she wore had a sour feel. Bella hesitated before sitting down. She glanced around the small cafe and was slightly comforted by the fact that there were other people around. Edward tensed as she sat down, his eyes flickering towards her. They were dark and bruised. He looked absolutely miserable. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly frowned and glanced away again.

Alice elbowed him hard in his ribs. She didn't say anything, but Edward whipped his head around to glare at her. Alice rolled her eyes before she turned back to Bella.

"I'm sorry. He's an idiot. Even after a century, he still isn't very good with his communication skills."

Bella felt her lips twitch, but she didn't say anything. She didn't know what to think.

When Edward didn't speak, Alice let out a loud, exasperated sigh. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned into his side. Edward stared at her. No words passed between them, but Bella knew they were speaking to one another. It was oddly fascinating to watch.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward said, turning to face her. His tone and expression serious. "As my sister pointed out, I'm not really good at this sort of thing."

Whatever Alice had said (or rather thought) had resonated with him. He didn't shy away from her gaze this time, and his voice was filled with a renewed sense of vigor.

"And?" Alice pressed with a smirk on her face.

Edward shook his head, although he seemed more amused than anything else. "I would be nowhere without Alice. My sister helped me set up this meeting because I'm an useless dunce who can't get my head out of my ass."

Bella let out a startled laugh. Alice shot her a wide grin before patting Edward's hand and saying,

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? I'll be outside if you need me. You two need to talk. Remember, communication is the key to any successful relationship."

Bella watched as she skipped out of the cafe, unsure of how she felt about what Alice had said. "She is certainly a force to be reckoned with."

"Try living with her."

The two laughed together, and for a moment Bella didn't feel scared. However, this feeling didn't last long. She soon found herself riddled with anxiety. She wiped her palms nervously on her jeans, her leg bouncing up and down as she glanced around the cafe. She didn't have any idea on what to do or say. It was Edward who first broke the silence.

"I have no words to truly expression how sorry I am. I shouldn't have continued to speak to you. None of this should have happened, but I was selfish. I liked being around you. I liked talking to you. I liked how human you made me feel. I understand how scared you must be of me and my family, but believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt you."

He watched her closely, waiting for a response. Bella struggled to find the words. She didn't know how to respond. There was no handbook on any of this. It wasn't everyday that a guy you liked turned out to be a vampire.

"I don't know what to say," she finally said.

"Will you hear me out instead?"

Bella was hesitate. She was still heavily apprehensive, but still she found herself saying, "Okay. But I walk out if I don't like it."

Edward nodded and offered her a reassuring smile. "Of course. I won't force you do anything you don't want to."

Bella waited as Edward struggled with how to start.

"I...I was the first Carlisle turned. He was working at the hospital I was in. Well, dying in is more the right term. You see, the Spanish flu was spreading like wildfire. Everyone was dying. It was awful. I was alone when Carlisle found me. It had already spread throughout my house, taking my parents before me. I had maybe two days left at the most. He had sat by my side for hours, just watching. At first, I thought he was simply waiting for me to die."

He paused suddenly and glanced towards her. Bella felt breathless. If Edward had been dying of the Spanish flu that meant he had been alive during World War I. She honestly thought Alice had been joking when she said Edward had been a century old. Still she held her ground. When she didn't show any signs of leaving, Edward continued speaking.

"I once asked Carlisle why he chose me. He had told me it was loneliness. He'd been a vampire for nearly two centuries at that point. He wanted companions."

"There weren't any other vampires around?' She asked.

Edward cracked a grin, chuckling lightly. "Carlisle lived a very unique lifestyle compared to others of our kind. Not only was he a doctor who helped humans, he also didn't feed from them as well."

Bella eyes widened. "Then how do you guys...you know, eat?"

"We feed from animals. Deer mostly and other game like it. We usually don't go for any endangered species. Not too many bears or wild cats, must to Emmett's dismay."

He laughed then, it must have been a joke between him and his family. Bella let out an uncomfortable chuckle, not exactly at ease with him talking about killing animals so casually. Although she couldn't deny the relief she felt when he said they didn't drink human blood.

"Carlisle lived a long time thinking he was cursed. He didn't want to steal a life, so he chose to turn someone who's life was already at its end."

There was a bitter tone to his voice prompting Bella to state, "You don't sound too thrilled by that."

Edward shook his head, dark laughter bubbling in his throat. "He stole my death. He didn't ask to turn me. I should have died. I had wanted to die."

His eyes were unfocused as he stared past her, lost in his darker thoughts. Bella instinctively reached across the table and took Edward's cool hand into her own. Edward jerked lightly, as if surprised by the sudden contact. His dark eyes locked with hers, softening as he looked at her. Instead on pulling away, he clutched tightly onto her hand. His voice was small as he spoke.

"I hated him so much. I ran from him, from the life he was trying to teach me. I wanted nothing to do with him."

Bella tensed uncomfortably. They were broaching the subject she so desperately wanted to avoid. She couldn't hold her tongue as she asked, "So you have killed humans?"

Edward frowned, hesitating with his answer. "With my gift, I can see people. I see every thought and fantasy. Every once in a while, I come across a very genuine and loving person. But Bella, there are disgusting people out their. Absolutely horrid. I...I hunted them. I felt if I were forced to be a monster, it was only fitting to take out other monsters as well. In some way, I thought I could be saved."

Bella gaped at him. God, this was insane. How did you respond to something like that? Edward continued desperately, speaking faster as he watched her.

"I hated myself. I hated what I had become. After a few years, I realized Carlisle could give me a chance to live with what I had become. That I didn't have to abandon my morals. I don't kill humans anymore, but I still have my gift. Carlisle taught me the more...law abiding way of turning in undesirable individuals."

There were a few moment of silence. Bella saw how Edward seemed to become more and more relaxed in her presence the longer he spoke. It felt as if he was confessing to her. In a way, she supposed he was. He was looking for ways to make her understand his nature.

"Did Carlisle turn the others in your family?"

"Yes, all except Alice and Jasper. They joined us already turned."

"Do you know who turned them?"

"Jasper, yes. Alice, however, doesn't remember anything of her human life."

"Nothing?" She whispered, glancing back towards the doors of the cafe. "That's horrible."

Edward nodded solemnly. "Now you know everything."

Neither of them spoke for a while. Bella was glad. She needed time to process everything. At some point, Edward lifted Bella's hand and gently pressed his lips to her knuckles causing her to flush.

"I know I don't deserve it, but you make me happy Bella."

Her breath hitched. Warmth bubbled in her chest as she stared at him. Before she could stop herself she said, "Yeah, I feel the same."

Edward's face lit up, and she was left breathless by his beauty. Bella grinned in response and said,

"Don't get too excited. I'm steering clear of your house for awhile. I still need time with all of this you know?"

He nodded, a more serious look falling across his face. "Of course. It's your choice. Like you said, you can walk out at any time."

"Good," she said as her hand curled more tightly around his.

Edward's eyes flickered behind her. Bella turned to see a very triumphant looking Alice behind her.

"I told you it would all work out," she said in a teasing tone.

Edward's lip twitched, but Bella wasn't so amused. Did that mean Alice say no other future? Or did she do something to change it? Alice's dark eyes flickered over towards Bella. She was staring at her, but it felt off. She looked more dazed than anything. Edward frowned as he glanced between the two of them. Was this Alice having a vision?

"I'm sorry Bella, I should have explained it better."

"Explain what?"

"I didn't mean so much that you didn't have a choice, it was more to reassure Edward. My visions are more decision based though. I can see multiple futures based on people's decisions, so it's not set in stone."

"Did you see how this meeting would turn out?"

Alice sounded hesitate as she answered. "This was more complicated. It was always shifting because Edward couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to even approach you or not."

Bella couldn't help but smile as Alice glared at her brother. Edward ducked his head and looked away, pretending he couldn't see her. Alice sighed heavily in mock annoyance before winking at her.

"I took the initiative in contacting you because whatever you do decide to do, I wanted you to know the full truth about our family."

Bella nodded. "Thank you for that."

A brilliant smile spread across her face. "No problem."

They spent the next three more hours just talking to one another. Bella noticed how much happier Edward seemed, more carefree. Now that she knew the truth about them, he didn't seem to really hold back anymore. Bella smiled as she watched him laugh freely. His head was thrown back as Alice was telling a story about Jasper and Emmett breaking the living room from one of their wrestling matches. Bella felt herself relax as well as they continued to talk. There were no more secrets between them.

She found herself feeling much more joyful than she had all week.


	14. Thirteen

**I hope this fixes the problem! Thanks for letting me know something was up. I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)**

Jessica was over the moon when Bella informed her how she and Edward had worked things out.

"That's awesome! I'm so happy for you," she gushed as she wrapped her arms around a red-faced Bella.

"Thanks," Bella said shyly, tucking some stray hairs behind her ears.

She peaked over towards Edward across the lunchroom. He was poorly hiding a smile as he leaned back into his chair. Bella bit her lip as she tried to hide a smile of her own. Turning back to her friends, she noticed the concerned look on Angela's face. She was much less enthusiastic about the news than Jessica. She frowned as she glanced between Bella and the Cullen's lunch table, tapping her fingers restlessly against the table.

"Are you sure, Bella? You said he wasn't exactly the person you thought he was."

Bella's eyes widened as she started to furiously shake her head.

"No, no, no," she said, waving her hands wildly. "It's nothing like that. Edward has more...personal issues going on than I was expecting. But we've been working through it."

Angela's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Right. Just be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."

Bella smiled at her friend's concern. "Trust me, I am. I promise. It's not like I'm leaping head first into anything."

That wasn't exactly a lie. Bella was still cautious around Edward and his family. She didn't feel completely comfortable enough yet to go back to his house, but she was more than happy to spend time with him at the cafe in town. It had become more of a meeting place for them when she wasn't working. Alice joined them from time to time, and Bella really liked her despite her more hyper personality. She thought that Alice and Jessica would get along well since the two of them were extremely bubbly people. Even Emmett had gone back to greeting her in the hallways. Besides from the occasional cold glares from Rosalie and Jasper, things were almost normal between her and the Cullens.

Bella almost felt guilty about how uncomfortable she felt with the thought of being completely alone with them. She hadn't completely come to terms yet with their vampirism. It almost felt like a dream with everything else that's been happening. Edward was more than patient with her though. She was very grateful for how he never pushed her boundaries. He was more than willing to study with her in the cafe.

Later that week, she was surprised to get a call from Jacob.

"How soon can you get down to La Push?" He sounded out of breath. His tone sounding more annoyed than anything else.

Bella frowned as she asked, "Why? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. My dad is just being an idiot. I need you to come down and convince him to abandon this crusade he's on."

"Well, that depends, what's going on?" She said with a laugh.

"Well, one of your dad's favorite meals is Sue's Fish Fry, right? You know after their fight about the Cullens, they didn't speak for a couple of weeks-"

Bella cut him off. "I thought they made up? You guys were over the other night."

"Yeah, I know. But dad was going on and on about how awkward it was. He wanted to do something to make it up to Charlie."

Bella laughed at the tone of his voice. She could practically hear his eyes rolling.

"Make it up to him? What does the fish fry have to do with it?"

Jacob just laughed and said, "Tell me about it. How soon can you get here?"

Walking into the Black household, Bella was assaulted by the smell of something burning.

"Um, hello?" She called out hesitantly. Only the sound of Billy swearing greeted her.

"Come in!" Jacob yelled.

Bella walked into the living room to see Jacob leaning against the kitchen doorway, shaking his head and chuckling as he watched his father scramble around. He barely noticed Bella's presence as he threw the burning pan in the sink, black smoke rising. She flinched as the fire alarm went off.

"Jesus, dad! This is the third time!" Jacob shouted as he opened the back door.

Bella grabbed a dish towel and started to fan around the smoke alarm in the kitchen. Billy continued to curse at himself as he also fanned a dish towel around the burning pan. Billy shook his head in dismay. After a few minutes of furious waving, the alarm finally shut off.

Scratching at his chin, he angrily muttered, "Maybe I should just give up."

Jacob threw his hands in the air and proclaimed,

"Hallelujah."

Bella smiled as Billy rolled his eyes and turned towards her. "How's Charlie doing?"

"He's doing okay," Bella answered, her eyes shifting towards Jacob uncertainty. She wasn't sure what to say about this.

Jacob shook his head. "You're acting like a loon, dad."

Bella bit her lip to hide a smile as Billy glowered in his direction as he said,

"I am not. Make yourself useful and throw that mess out. How've you been, Bella?"

She moved out of the way as Jacob picked up the blackened pan. The two shared a look before Bella turned back towards Billy.

"I'm doing okay. How are you?"

A strained smile pulled at his lips. "Well, I'm here. Happier now that Rachel's back in town. You remember her, right?"

Bella nodded despite the fact of having no recollection of the girl. All she knew was that Rachel was Jacob's older sister.

"She's moved back into town. She's out looking for a job now, but I'll be sure to bring her around sometime."

"Sounds good to me."

Billy cleared his throat while Bella picked at her nails, unable to look really look at him. She wasn't sure of what to do or say. A heavy sigh sounded from Billy causing her to frown as she looked down at him. Billy's face was tense and wary as he glanced up at her seriously. Bella's frown deepened as she felt worry begin to gnaw at her stomach. What was wrong?

"I realize I may have overstepped my boundaries with you and Charlie."

Her brow furled in confusion. "What?"

"With the Cullens," he whispered, teeth on edge. Bella tensed.

"I shouldn't have lost my temper so easily. Because of those l-" He cut off suddenly, glancing up at Bella uneasily.

She wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say, but it no doubt had to do with their secret. She tried to school her features to be as expressionless as possible. She didn't want to give away that she knew anything.

"My feelings about the Cullens shouldn't have interfered with you and Charlie. Frankly, nothing should. I value my friendship with your father too much. I...I didn't want to lose that."

He paused, nervously swiping his tongue across his lips. Bella nodded to show she was listening. Billy simply laughed, his shoulders shaking as he covered his face with his hands.

"I thought," he mumbled, sounding embarrassed, "I thought that if I made this stupid fish fry it would make things go back to the way they were."

"What do you mean? We were happy to have you the other week."

"I know, it's stupid. It felt off. Awkward. It didn't use to be like that. Not since...I guess no matter how old you get some things never change."

Bella bit her lip as she scrambled for something to say.

She started off slowly. "I think both of you said some uncalled for things. You guys just started talking again after saying such nasty things. This kind of stuff takes time," she said with a shrug.

Billy smiled widely at her words. Bella couldn't help but grin back. He chuckled and patted her arm lightly.

"You got a good head on your shoulders. You get that from Charlie."

Bella blushed and ducked her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Now why don't we-"

The sounds of shouting caused Bella to jump. Billy frowned as he drew closer to their back door, Bella following anxiously behind him as the shouts grew louder. A large figure loomed in the doorway, busting through. Bella jumped back as the unfamiliar man stepped further into the house and slammed the door shut, glancing around the kitchen. Her eyes widened as she took him in. He was ginormous, unnaturally so. He towered high above her, his head almost brushing the ceiling, She could have easily guessed him to be around seven feet tall. His muscle bulged underneath tan skin, as if they were straining and fighting to burst out.

His dark eyes scanned the kitchen; his nostrils flaring as he narrowed in on Bella. She felt her heart leap into her throat at the murderous, angry look he gave her. Her body froze with terror, like a rabbit staring down a massive wolf. Jacob came bounding in behind him, shouting loudly.

"I told you she's not here. You can't just-" He trailed off, glancing apprehensively between the stranger and Bella. It seemed she wasn't the only one to notice his malicious gaze.

The tension was thick in the air. The stranger took a step forward, his eyes locked onto Bella. She backed away, glancing desperately at the exits. He was blocking the backdoor and Billy was blocking her way towards the front door. She doubted she'd be able to have enough time to maneuver around Billy to outrun him. Jacob wedged himself in between the stranger and her, glaring up at him.

"Just get the hell out of here!"

Billy rolled closer to his son. "Jacob, let me handle this. Paul, Rachel isn't here right now. Why don't you come back later."

Paul didn't seem to be listening. His whole body was shaking with murderous rage as he spat out,

"What is she doing here?"

Billy's finger curled tightly around his knees. "Paul, Bella Swan is a family friend. She's allowed to come and go as she pleases. Now, get out of here."

Paul sneered down at him, baring his teeth. "She smells-"

Jacob stepped forward, attempting to push Paul back. Paul didn't move an inch. Jacob would probably have better luck pushing against a brick wall. "He said get out of here."

Paul laughed mockingly in his face before shoving Jacob aside. Bella gasped as his body thudded heavily against the floor. Her body jerked as she fought to urge to run to him.

"Paul, get your ass out of my house. You don't get to come in here acting like you are, and touching my son like that. I'll be damned if you act like that around my daughter ever. Sam will hear about this," Billy's voice was low and steady, leaving no room for argument.

Whoever Sam was made Paul pause. He glanced between Bella and Billy, making her tense once again. She knew he was weighing his options. Billy rolled closer to Paul, standing his ground under Paul's hateful gaze. With an angry huff, Paul turned and stormed out of the house and into the woods surrounding their house. Bella jumped as he slammed the back door shut, shaking the house. No one spoke. Bella wasn't sure she could even move. Her eyes started to fill with tears as her hands began to tremble.

On shaky legs, she half ran to where Jacob was kneeling on the wooden floor. She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, but he barely reacted as he glared angrily where Paul had disappeared. She opened her mouth to ask if he was okay when Jacob abruptly stood, scowling heavily. Bella had to take a step back to avoid toppling over.

"He's crazy! I don't want Rachel around that dick anymore."

Billy's face was grim. "His anger is getting out of control. Call Sam."

Jacob whirled around to face his father. "Dad, I'm serious. I don't know what his deal is, but he shouldn't be coming around anymore!"

"Jacob, just-"

Jacob didn't stop talking, too heated to end his rant. "I don't know know why he follows her around like some lost puppy. Rachel's gay anyway, it's not like-"

Billy shook his head. "Jacob, can you call Sam for me? We'll talk about this later."

Jacob opened his mouth to argue but quickly snapped it shut at Billy's pointed glance. Mumbling under his breath, Jacob stalked towards the phone hanging on their kitchen wall and punched in a number. Bella watched him, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Her mind was still locked onto Paul. The hair on the back of her neck was still on edge. She was vaguely aware that Billy was trying to get her attention.

"-are you alright? Bella?" Billy said, his voice slowly getting louder. "Bella, should I call Charlie?"

She blinked owlishly down at him, not fully comprehending what he was saying. "What?"

His gaze softened as he said in a quieter voice, "Do you want to sit down?"

"I-yeah," she stumbled out, walking towards their kitchen table that was nestled right below the back window.

Taking a few deep breaths, Bella tried to calm down. Her eyes flickered towards the forest surrounding Billy's house. Paul had disappeared somewhere in the brush. Why he had gone there, Bella could only imagine. Paul was dangerous. That level of hostility didn't come from anywhere. Something sparked in her mind, a small flicker. She remembered one day she was telling Alice about Jacob, how he lived in La Push. She had gone oddly quiet as she talked about the beaches. Bella asked if Alice had ever been, and she heavily hesitated before answering that they weren't allowed in La Push.

"What do you mean?"

"We made a treaty with some of the tribe elders. They knew about our secret. Because of our diet choice, we had managed to convince them that we meant no harm to the humans that lived here. They agreed to let us stay on the condition we never killed humans and we stayed off their land."

Bella's brow furled in confusion. "How did they know?"

Alice pursed her lips as she watched her. Slowly shaking her head, Alice said,

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm not allowed to say. They keep our secret, we keep theirs."

Alice had promptly changed the subject then, but Bella still wondered what that could have meant.

Bella's head fell into her hands as she rubbed her face. A horrible gnawing feeling dug at the pit of her stomach. First vampires, and now whatever craziness was happening on La Push. Bella sighed wearily as her body sagged with fatigue. She just wanted to go home. Both Billy and Jacob tried to convince her to stay or to at least let Jacob drive her home. Bella had refused and promised she would call them when she got home.

Charlie surprised her by saying she had gotten five calls asking for her while she had been gone.

"From who?"

"Two from Alice Cullen and three from Edward. It sounded like it was really urgent. Is everything alright?"

Bella felt her stomach drop. Wringing her hands together, she managed to say,

"I'm sure it's just about some homework they missed."

Her voice had sounded weak. She didn't even believe the lie. Thankfully, Charlie didn't press any further. He eyes her suspiciously for a moment before giving her some privacy to call them back.

Picking up the phone, Bella dialed the number back. She was met with a frantic sounding Alice.

"Bella? Bella is that you?"

"Yes." She answered, frowning at the audible sigh of relief from the other side. "What happened?"

"Thank god! I was so scared."

"What? Why?"

There was a rustling sound as the phone was taken from her. Edward's voice echoed back.

"Alice said she had a vision of you go blank. Like you had just disappeared."

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Edward's voice sounded scared and on edge. It made her feel even more scared if possible.

"What does that mean?"

The silence on the other end of the line was not welcome.

"Edward? Alice? What does that mean?" There was a panicked edge to her voice now. Bella closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a deep breath.

 _Calm down. You're okay. Everything's fine._

"It...well...Usually, it means-" Alice trailed off, sounding uncomfortable and nervous at the same time.

Bella could connect the dots together. Jesus Christ, had Paul been that deranged by her presence? Pressing her hand to her mouth, Bella managed to gasp out,

"I think I need to go."

"Do you want me to come over?" Edward asked, his voice was soft.

 _Yes._ Bella wanted to say, but she hesitated. She was still heavily shaken up by the whole thing. If she were being honest, she wanted to be alone right now.

"You don't have to. I'll be okay."

"If you want me there, just say the word. You don't have to be alone if you don't want to."

Bella clenched the phone tighter in her hands. "It's okay, Edward. I'll call you tomorrow."

After a few more failed attempts, Edward finally left her off the phone. Not without making her promise to meet him at the cafe tomorrow. Bella hung up the phone and stood silently in the kitchen.

What she wanted was a long, hot shower. Bouncing up the stairs, Bella ignored Charlie's concerned questions. She felt exhausted. All she wanted was some sleep, but her body was still wired up.

 _I'll deal with it later._ She thought as she picked up a novel from her desk. _Right now I just want to relax._

Bella couldn't focus on a single word in the book. She kept picturing Paul's murderous face.

 _I'll deal with it later._ This was the last thought she had before falling into a fitful sleep that made her feel even more exhausted the next day.


	15. Fourteen

Bella was not ashamed to admit she was avoiding La Push. It was easier to do so now that Billy and Jacob were coming over more often after her dad and Billy made up. At first, she had avoided talking about Paul altogether, but her curiosity soon got the best of her. Alice had stopped having the blank visions of her when she stopped going to La Push. Despite the relief, there was a voice in the back of her head constantly nagging her about Paul. There was something dangerous about him. An unnatural air that lingered around him that made your hair stand on end that was similar to the feeling she got when she first met Edward and his family. She couldn't help but want to know more.

She had practiced for days on what she was going to say to Billy the next time she saw him. Bella knew she had to be sensitive about it. Both Edward and Alice had told her about the treaty between their family and the elders in La Push, and refused to give her any information. This wasn't something to take lightly.

Surprisingly, it was Billy who came to her first. He had caught her in the kitchen alone one night.

"Bella, can I steal you for a minute? I wanted to talk to you about Paul."

"Of course," she said, trying not to seem too excited.

Bella eagerly watched him, waiting for him to speak. Billy looked tired and tense as he rubbed a hand over his mouth and across his cheek. She felt almost guilty for feeling happy about the fact she wasn't going to have to bring up Paul first when he looked so haggard.

"I...I can't say too much. Paul is going through a lot right now and is struggling with himself. It does not excuse his behavior towards you or my son, but it's more complicated than bad anger management. I just wanted you to know that Paul is being handled right now, and he won't be bothering you again."

Bella bit her lip as she stared at him, unsure of how to proceed. Paul had been close to killing her if Alice's visions were anything to go by. Billy was right. This was more than bad anger management.

"But why? What was it about me that set him off?"

Billy shook his head, his mouth pressed into a hard line. "It wasn't anything you did. Paul just…."

He trailed off, suddenly glancing up to stare intently at her. Bella frowned slightly as he just watched her. There was a calculating glint in his eyes as he watched her fidget. She knew he was deciding how much he should tell her.

"You're still friends with the Cullens, right?" He suddenly asked, his tone hesitate.

Bella blinked, slightly caught off guard by the question. "Yes, I am."

Billy hummed, sounding not too pleased by it. "The Cullens aren't welcome on the reservation. Paul knew you were friends with them and his anger got the best of him. Now don't worry about not being able to come to La Push at all. You know you're always welcome in my home. Like I said, Paul is being dealt with. You have nothing to worry about."

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but found herself at a loss for words. Billy was skirting around the truth, trying not to reveal too much. What secret he was hiding, it was connected to Edward and his family. Jacob had told her Billy thought the Cullens were vampires. Billy knew their secret, but he wasn't aware she knew as well. As far as Billy knew, she saw the Cullens in school and that was about it. She wasn't exactly very vocal about her relationship with Edward. Jacob only knew she was interested in a boy from school and that was all. She hadn't told him who it was because she had been too afraid of Billy knowing who it was. After the fight he had with Charlie about just mentioning them, she had no clue how he'd react once he found out she was dating one of them.

Her chest felt tight as she fought with herself. What could she even say? Bella didn't want to betray Edward's trust, but was it really breaking it if Billy already knew their secret? She started to panic when she saw he was starting to leave the room. Bella hadn't gotten all the answers she was looking for. She couldn't help but blurt out,

"I know. You don't have to lie to me."

Billy turned to look at her. His burrow furled slightly as he asked slowly, "Know what?"

Bella swallowed hard, her throat tight. _Fuck._

"I..I know about them. About the Cullens."

He whipped around to fully face her. "You know?" He nearly yelled, but managed a loud whisper.

Oh god, this was a mistake. She hoped Edward would forgive her. Bella could only nod, her voice too weak to speak.

Billy let out a sharp laugh. "You know, and yet still you decide it's safe to be around them."

"They wouldn't hurt me."

"That doesn't matter. As much as I hate to admit it, the Cullens are true to their word. They don't kill humans, but Bella, their world will destroy you."

Bella reared back, blanching at the honest, bland tone of his voice. "They won't hurt me."

Her voice was smaller, less fight in it. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Are they going to turn you?" Bella flinched back from the coldness in his voice.

"What?"

"Are they going to turn you?"

"I-I don't know. We haven't talked about it."

Billy shook his head. She had expected him to be furious, but not the sadness that suddenly fell across his face. Bella hated the pity in his eyes as he looked at her. She would have preferred him to be angry over this.

"They'll kill you. One day, if they turn you, you'll have to leave. You'll never be able to see your friends or family again. You'd have to lie to Charlie. Leave him and your mother behind. Forget all about them. God, if Charlie lost you that would-"

"Stop it," she whispered, rage bubbling in her chest. Anger tears blurred her vision as she turned away from him. "Just, stop."  
The air was tense between them. Billy took a shaky breath. "Dammit," he whispered.

Bella crossed her arms, a deep frown pulling her lips down as she watched him. They both were struggling to find something to say. Billy was the first to break the silence.

"I stand by what I said. You're not a stupid girl, Bella. If you want to be friends with them, fine. It's not my place to stop you, but please think about this. Think about what they are and what this means for you. Charlie would be devastated if he lost you."

Bella's nails bit painfully into the palm of her hands as she curled her fist tight against her chest, fighting the urge to cry. Billy left her then. This stale silence was worse because she was left with her own thoughts. She made some excuses to Charlie about going to bed early and fled upstairs. Her hands felt shaky as she stepped into the shower. Billy was right. God, she knew he was right. He had said everything she was afraid of thinking about. Everything she was afraid to face herself. What she had been been ignoring. Her relationship with Edward was bound to end. It would probably end very badly as she wasn't hundred percent willing to give up her life to be with him. Not now. It was too soon. Their relationship was still so new.

But the question still remained, what were they doing if he didn't turn her? She would keep aging, while he stayed young forever. Edward had told her how his family traveled often to avoid suspicion. How long did they have before he left again?

She snuck back down to the living room later that night after Billy and Jacob had left and Charlie asleep in bed. She stared at the phone for a while before dialing Edward's number. The phone didn't ring but one time before he answered.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

She smiled slightly at the concern in his voice, but it flattered as she remembered why she was calling him in the first place.

"I'm alright. I just-well I was wondering if we could talk."

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

Bella glanced nervously up the stairway. She didn't speak again until she could hear Charlie's snores echoing softly throughout the house.

"How soon can you be here?" She whispered in the receiver, still nervous that Charlie would hear her somehow.

"Fifteen minutes at the most. I'll be there soon. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright. Just don't be too long."

It was the longest fifteen minutes of her life. She didn't even turn on her bedside lamp, too afraid Charlie would wake in the middle of the night and come asking questions. Bella paced up and down her room while she nervously bit her nails, waiting. She nearly jumped out of her skin as something knocked softly against her window frame. She spun around to see Edward hanging on the side of her window. Bella quickly unlocked her window and pulled it up, struggling slightly as it stuck in certain places. Edward slipped quietly thought, making no sound. Bella couldn't make out his face in the darkness just yet, but she knew he must have been frowning from the concern tone in his voice.

"Alice said you would call me. What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Bella couldn't help but smile as he took her hand. There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she said,

"Yeah, yeah. It's just a lot has happened the past couple days, you know?"

Edward nodded, waiting patiently for her to continue. Bella took a shaky breath and ran her fingers through her hair nervously.

"Do you mind if we sit down?"

"Of course."

Bella made him take her desk chair, refusing to make him sit on the bed. She could tell Edward was amused by her actions, but she was too wound up to really think anything more about it.

"I'm worried."

"Worried? Is everything okay? Are you feeling sick?"

Her lips twitched as Edward lifted a cool hand to her forehead. "You don't feel too warm," he muttered.

Bella laughed and pulled away from his hand. "No, no. It's not that. I just got worried about us. About what we're doing."

Her eyes had adjusted completely to the darkness now. She had been right. Edward was frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just," Bella shifted uncomfortably, "you're immortal aren't you? That's what vampires are."

He nodded slowly. Bella took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"Well, I'm still human. I'll age and get older and you won't."

"Are you asking me to change you?" He sounded guarded, causing Bella to shake her head.

"No, not really. It's just we haven't really talked about it, have we?"

When he didn't speak, she just keep going. The words pouring freely from her mouth as she was helpless to stop it. All her worries came bubbling to the surface, everything she had been holding back.

"I mean what are we even doing? If I stay human there's no reason for us to be together It'll end eventually. You'll have to leave because people will start to get suspicious that you're not aging. I can't come with you as a human. I'll be the only one aging and then people would sooner believe I was your mother not your girlfriend."

Edward shook his head. From the moonlight streaming in her room she could see how his mouth was set in a grim line.

"I can't change you, Bella. You don't know what you're asking. What you'd be giving up. I won't do that to you."

Bella let out a barking laugh. It was an ugly sound.

"That's exactly my point!" She said tearfully, her voice breaking slightly. "I don't know what being a vampire even means. I know you told me your story, but there's still so much I don't know. That I don't understand! I...I don't want you to change me. Not right now. But we can't keep ignoring it."

She couldn't stop the tears now. Her body shook with her sobs as Edward reached out towards her, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he held her to his body. He kissed her temple as he gently stroked her arms, trying to help calm her down. Bella shook her head. She felt hopeless and embarrassed to be blubbering on his shoulder like this, but it just wouldn't stop. It'd been building up inside her for too long.

"We'll talk to Carlisle. He can tell you more about us. We'll go talk to him."

Bella sniffled and wiped her nose on her wrist. "What will Carlisle say that you can't?"

Edward pursed his lips as he thought. Bella felt herself smile at the familiar pucker in between his brows.

"He's been living our lifestyle the longest. Carlisle created our coven. He's our leader, although he would scold me for putting it like that." He chuckled slightly, causing Bella to smile as well. "He can explain things better. I'm...I'm too biased. I don't think I could change you if that's what truly you wanted. I can't bring myself to turn you into a monster like me."

Bella glanced up sharply at him. Edward's voice had trembled with such sadness and confliction it made her chest hurt. He had said he hated himself. That he hated what he was, but Bella hadn't truly seen that up close until now. She brought her hands up and cupped his face. His eyes briefly closed as he leaned into the palm of her hand. He turned slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to the inside of her wrist causing her to turn red.

"Sometimes I don't know where I'd be without you. I feel incredibly lucky to have met you Bella. I can't remember the last time I've ever felt happier."

He turned to look her in the eyes. The intensity in his golden eyes practically took her breath away. Bella felt hot and cold all over. With her heart hammering in her ears she could barely think of a response.

"Yeah," she whispered a bit breathless. "I feel the same."

Edward smiled and his eyes flickered down to her lips. Bella's eyes widened as he leaned forward slightly.

"Don't move," he whispered softly. "I want to try something."

She didn't dare breath as he moved closer. Edward hesitated a hair away from her lips. Bella rolled her eyes and closed the distance between them. He tensed briefly, but Edward didn't pull away. His lips were as hard and cold as the rest of him. It was awkward, and neither knew quite what they were doing, but Bella couldn't help but smile into the chaste kiss.

Edward pulled away, a bright smile lighting up his face. Bella blushed and ducked her head. She glared at him as he started to laugh at her embarrassed state.

"Shut up," she muttered, halfheartedly hitting him in the shoulder.

"I didn't say anything."

Bella shot him a sharp look. "You were thinking it."

Edward's brows shot up in mock surprise. "Oh, so now you're the mind reader."

Bella laughed loudly, before quickly slapping a hand over her mouth. "I don't want my dad to wake up. Wouldn't that be great? He'd shoot you right out my window."

"We'd have to fake my death," Edward said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's not push it."

Bella leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. She could have sat there forever, but her conversation with Billy was still at the forefront of her mind. A heavy sigh fell from her lips before she could stop it. Edward pulled away to look down at her.

"Everything okay?" He asked, lightly pushing some of her hair behind her ear.

Her eyes were glued to her knees as she said, "Billy Black was over earlier today. We...talked about some stuff."

"You talked?" He repeated slowly. "About what?"

"He...well he knows that I know about you."

She could see how Edward tensed, causing her to as well. Her heart was beating wildly in her ears as he suddenly stood. Bella's hands tightened around her knees as she watched him.

"Bella, this isn't good."

"I know, I know. It's just Jacob told me that he already knew, so I thought technically I wasn't telling your secret if he already knew."

"Jacob? Jacob who?"

"Billy's son. Jacob told me that Billy warned him about your family being vampires."

Edward suddenly turned sharply towards her, causing Bella to lean back. He laughed, a sharp disbelieving sound.

"They broke the treaty. I can't believe it. This is bad, Bella."

Bella stood, tentatively reaching out towards Edward. "Jacob didn't know it was real. He didn't know what he was doing."

He sighed heavily and ruffled the hair on the back of his head. Bella turned away, not sure what to say, guilt and worry racking her entire body. Edward stepped forward to kiss the side of her head. "I...I'll have to tell my family. We have to decide what to do about the treaty. We can talk to Carlisle tomorrow too if you want."

"I'd think that'd be best," she said softly.

Edward's hold tightened slightly. "Don't worry, Bella. We'll work it out. I promise."

With that said, Edward started to step away back towards her window. Bella reached out and grabbed onto his wrist. "Where are you going?"

He glanced between her and the clock on her bedside table, his lips twitching with amusement. "Bella, it's almost 3 o'clock in the morning. That last I heard, humans need sleep."

Bella smiled. She had no idea what she was doing, she didn't feel completely in control of her body. Maybe the lack of sleep was getting to her, but she was done worrying about vampires and Billy Black. All she wanted to do was cuddle with her boyfriend.

Her grip tightened around his wrist. "Will you stay? At least until I fall asleep?"

Edward's eyes softened as he watched her. Nodding slightly, he kneeled onto the bed as Bella laid back against her pillows. Hesitantly, Edward stared down at her causing Bella to roll her eyes.

"I'm not going to bite you," she teased him with a grin.

A smile spread across his face as he laid down beside her. Bella intertwined their hands together and she tucked her head into the side of his neck. Edward kissed her forehead one more time before she slipped out of consciousness, finally falling asleep.


	16. Fifteen

Bella awoke with a start, her alarm blaring loudly. Groaning, Bella rolled over to turn it off and buried her head into her pillows. A loud groan tore through her throat, muffled by her pillows. Maybe she should skip today. She could tell Charlie she was sick and just sleep all day. She had just started to drift off once again when something tickled her nose, a almost sweet smell. Bella frowned and inhaled deeper. Edward's scent still lingered on her pillows. Everything that happened the past couple hours came rushing back.

Running her hands down tiredly across her face, Bella let out a weary sigh. Rolling out of bed, she barely paid attention to what she threw on. She was out the door in less than ten minutes and a million miles away. She could barely think straight the entire day. Her anxiety had risen to new heights by the time she got to school; it didn't help that Edward and his family was out for the day. That mixed with how tired she was proved to be an interesting day.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Angela asked at lunch, her hand squeezing Bella's shoulder. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should go home."

Bella shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine. I have two more classes anyway. I can make it."

Jessica cut in, her tone worried. "Bella, I think Angela is right. You look more like death warmed over than anything else."

Bella glowered at them. "I'm fine. I just need some caffeine. Does the canteen sell coffee?"

"No, but they have sodas. I'll grab you one," Mike said, jumping up eagerly.

Bella didn't miss the sad, angry look on Jessica's face as she watched him walk away. Bella felt her guilt skyrocket as Jessica turned back towards the table, her eyes glued to her tray as she picked at her food.

"Jess-" She started to say only to be cut off.

"Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Seriously, just drop it!" She said a bit harshly.

The table fell into an awkward silence. Eric coughed and kissed Angela's cheek before bailing to go sit with Tyler and a few other guys at a different table. The traitor. Bella suddenly felt more tired than ever. She rested her head against the cool table top as a dizziness overtook her. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down.

Jessica let out a huge sigh. "Bella, I'm sorry. Mike is just...he's been so…." She pushed her tray away. "It's not your fault."

Before she could respond, Mike was back at the table. He slid the soda in front of her and smiled brightly.

"Here you go, Bella."

"Thanks, Mike," she bit out.

Mike did not notice the sour mood falling over the table. Or if he did, he did a good job ignoring it. Bella glanced nervously back towards the Cullen lunch table. It was completely empty. Bella gnawed on her bottom lip as she dug her nails into her palm. Neither Edward nor Alice told her anything about tonight. She knew Edward said he'd have to have a family meeting. What if they left? What would she-

"Bella? You alright there, Swan?" Mike's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She blinked owlishly at him. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She took a nervous swig of her drink, nearly missing her mouth.

"If you say so. You looked kinda lost in space for a second."

"Yeah, I guess I was," she said a bit distractedly.

The table fell into another round of awkward silence. Bella tapped her foot restlessly against the tiled floor. God, it seemed like this lunch hour would never end. She just wanted to go home. Jessica took a breath and opened her mouth as if to speak, but Mike cut her off before she could begin. He cleared his throat before stammering out,

"So Bella, are y-you and Cullen going to prom together?" He asked, failing to make it sound like a causal question.

Bella glanced uneasily at Jessica, but the said girl sat tense and stared blankly at the table top in front of her. "What prom?"

He chuckled uncomfortably. "You know...the school prom that's in a couple weeks. Right after school lets out."

Her eyes widened. "It's already that close to the end of the semester?"

"Yeah, it is. Where've you been today, Swan?" He asked, his voice had a slight edge to it. Although the question was addressed to her, his eyes slid towards the empty Cullen table.

Bella flashed him a tight smile. "On another planet, I guess."

She had already been in Forks close to five months now. Wow, it didn't seem like she'd been here that long, but at the same time it seemed too short of a time span for everything that's happened. Mike keep trying to ask her questions about Edward and prom, further contributing to the anger building inside of Jessica. She wasn't the only one, as even Angela seemed to be getting wound up too. Bella was growing more and more uncomfortable and tried to direct the conversation other places, but he wouldn't budge. If he didn't shut his mouth soon, Bella couldn't be held responsible for what she'd do next.

Jessica's patience finally reached its end as she exploded. "What does it matter what Bella is doing with Edward? It's none of your business, is it?"

Mike reeled back, frowning heavily. "It's just a question. No need to get so bitchy about it."

Both Angela and Bella let out a startled gasp. Angela wore a fierce glare as he face flushed with anger. Bella glanced nervously between the Mike and Jess, heavy aware of the others in the cafeteria beginning to look at them. She started to speak up when Jessica cut her off. She wore a fierce glare as her face screwed up in anger.

"I get 'bitchy' about it when all you do is ask me about Bella and Edward. You think you'd have more to talk about."

He flushed and casted a nervous glance towards Bella before facing Jess. "I do not," he hissed.

Jessica let out a loud, harsh laugh. Bella tensed as more people turned to stare at the table now.

"Yes, you do. It's more than obvious that you're in love with Bella. You can't stand the fact she's with Edward."

Mike's hands balled up into fist as he drew closer to Jessica. "Shut up! You do nothing but run your damn mouth."

Red blotches stretched across Jess's face and down her neck. The two leaned dangerously close to one another to get in each other's face.

"Why don't you-"

Angela and Bella stood and pulled gently on Jessica's arms, trying to get some distance between the two of them before this turned psychical. They had already gathered pretty much the attention of the entire student body and some of the teachers as well with all the yelling. The two pulled a half hysteric Jessica into the nearest bathroom, ignoring the prying eyes from everyone else in the room. The three were squeezed into one stall as Jessica cried on a toilet.

She suddenly lashed out, kicking the side of the stall as she said, "He's such a fucking jerk."

Angela patted her shoulder, moving as close to her as the tiny stall would allow her. "I know. You don't deserve it, Jess."

Bella nodded in agreement. "Seriously, I'd drop him if I was you. That was completely uncalled for. No one should ever speak to you like that."

Jess let out a shaky breath and said with a slightly bitter tone, "Yeah, well if I were you I wouldn't have to worry about jerks like him would I? I'd have Edward Cullen and about every other boy in Forks falling over me."

Bella shifted uncomfortably, her heart hammering in her chest. She had no clue what to say to that. Angela glanced nervously at Bella before shaking her head vigorously.

"Don't say that, Jess. You're a-"

Bella turned around and walked out of the stall. She couldn't stand to hear anything more. Her vision blurred slightly as she stumbled towards one of the sinks. Running some cold water, Bella splashed her face as Angela continued to comfort Jessica. She brought her hands up to her temples to try to rub away the headache slowly forming. Her head was throbbing.

"I think I'm going home," she said, too quietly as Angela asked her to repeat it.

"I'm going home. Jess, you're a hundred times sweeter and better looking than me. You're smarter than Angela and I put together. If an idiot like Mike Newton can't see what a great person you are, than it's his lost. You're too good for him."

She didn't wait for Jess to respond. Walking out of the bathroom, Bella ignored Angela's protest as tears started to gather in her eyes. This was all too much. She didn't have time to worry about Mike or prom. She was too worried about Edward and his family. She was too nervous about her own place in all of it. She didn't need this useless drama.

She felt ready to faint by the time she made it to her car. The rain was misting, causing a fog to hang over Forks. Bella rubbed her eyes tiredly at she cracked up the heater. She couldn't stop her bottom lip from wobbling as she fought back angry tears. She ground her teeth together as her rage began to well inside her chest. Letting out an angry cry, Bella pounded her fist as her steering wheel. The horn blared, but she could care less. She just slammed her fist down one after another. Too angry to care.

She let out a startled gasp as cool hands gently grasped her own. She turned to see a Edward staring back at her, wary and concerned as he watched her.

"Wha-"

He rubbed his thumb over her bruising knuckles. "Alice said you would need me."

Bella took in a couple deep breaths as Edward bent over and kissed her hands.

"Bella, what happened?"

"Mike Newton happened."

Edward's expression turned thunderous. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Bella shook her head, her hands tightening around his. "No, he's just an idiot. Jessica is too good for him."

He tried to smile, but it was tense. "That she is."

Bella sniffed, feeling frustrated at the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes. She was tired of crying and feeling useless. Although, she couldn't help but continue speaking, trying to relieve the stress building up inside of her.

"After everything that's been going on the past week, this just wasn't the best thing to happen, you know? And you weren't here today. None of you were. I wasn't sure if you all had left or-"

She took a ragged breath, unable to properly breathe. Edward cupped her face, pulling her gaze from dashboard to his golden eyes. She welcomed the coolness of his hands on her flushed face.

"Everything is alright, Bella. Just breathe. Can you take a couple deep breaths with me?"

She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, copying Edward a few times until she began to feel calmer. He smiled slightly as he asked,

"Better?"

Bella nodded, unable to stop the rush of blood to her cheeks. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not healthy to let things build up like that. With all the strain you've been under and the lack of sleep, I'm not surprised."

She let out a weak laugh. "I thought Carlisle was the doctor."

Edward shrugged. "I have a few medical degrees of my own."

Bella shook her head, a small smile formed on her face as she said, "Why am I not surprised?"

Edward didn't say anything in return but slid his hands from her face down her neck and arms to hold her hands again. Bella sighed and leaned over to rest her forehead against his shoulder.

"I'm so tired."

Edward brought one hand to lightly run through her hair. "Then sleep. I'll drive you home."

"No, I can't!" She said as she jerked back. "We're supposed to talk to Carlisle and your family about-"

"They'll be there when you wake up, love. What's a couple hours to someone who's lived a couple centuries? They can wait."

Bella eyes him dubiously. "But-"

"But, nothing. You're going to nap."

He laughed as she glowered at him. "Just for a few hours, okay? For me?"

She groaned dramatically and rolled her eyes. "If you insist."

Edward grinned broadly, his tone lighter as he said, "I do so insist. Now move over, you're not fit to drive."

"I'll try not to take offense to that," she said drily and hoped out of the car to walk to the passenger side.

Bella leaned her head against the window. Her eyes drooping tiredly. She tried to fight against the sleepiness, but found it was already a lost battle. She slowly slipped out of conscious. Happy that no lingering thoughts or nightmares haunted her while she slept.

Cools fingers gently caressed her face. Bella frowned and tried to bat the hands away.

Edward laughed softly. "It's time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Bella groaned as she cracked one eye open. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. Edward must have moved her from the car to her room.

"Did you seriously just call me that?" She asked groggily, her voice still heavy with sleep.

He shrugged. "Well, you're sleeping and beautiful. It seemed fitting."

Bella shook her head but couldn't hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. She glared at Edward's pleased grin.

"What time is it?"

Bella turned over to glance at her clock. The bright, bold red letters read 4:30. Running her hands through her hair, Bella threw the covers off and stalked towards the bathroom, looking for her hair brush. Edward followed quietly behind her.

"Do you mind if I watch you?" He asked, his tone more sheepish. "It's been awhile since I've...well since I had to get ready in the morning.'

His curious eyes roamed around the bathroom. Taking in the various shampoos, toothbrushes, and hand towels. Bella couldn't help but smile at how clueless he looked by all of it.

"Knock yourself out," she said, wincing she she brushed over some harsh tangles.

Despite the initial amusement at Edward's reaction to her bathroom, Bella also felt some fear start to worm its way inside her chest as she watched him. He was so out of touch with humanity. His whole family was. That was probably the most unsettling about all of them as she thought back on it. Despite the close contact with humans, they hadn't really perfected interacting with them. They always sat so still and emotionless, like statues. She barely say them speaking to anyone at school with each other, let alone other people. If she became a vampire, would she lose that touch with humanity?

Edward's voice brought her out of her musings.

"Do you want to eat before we go?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Maybe just a snack. I wouldn't want you to get hungry."

Bella turned to glance at him, which wasn't the best idea as they were currently walking down the staircase. She nearly missed the last step, causing Edward to laugh. She glared halfheartedly as she asked,

"Do you even eat human food? I ran into Esme at the store once."

"We do it to keep appearances. We don't eat human food. We never kept any of it. Esme donates most of it to homeless shelters."

Bella smiled. "That sounds like something she would do."

Edward nodded. "She really is best of us."

Bella tried to move as fast as she could. She didn't want to waste anymore time. She wanted to get it over with. She quickly devoured a bowl a cereal and left a note for Charlie. She wouldn't want him to send out a search party for her. After pinning the note to the refrigerator, she dumped her dirty bowl into the sink.

Her stomach felt like it was twisting into knots as she thought about meeting with Edward's family. Bella's fingers curled tightly around the sink edge. Her throat and chest felt tight. She jumped slightly when Edward laid a hand on her back.

"You okay?" His voice was low and full of concern.

Bella shook her head lightly, a tight smile spreading across her face. "I'm fine," she breathed.

Edward rose an eyebrow. "Yeah, it looks like it. Would you...would you rather not come? If you're still uncomfortable with-"

"No, it's not that. It's just-urgh!" Bella couldn't find the right words.

Edward pulled her her into a tight hug. "Hey, hey, hey. It'll be okay. I'll be right there next to you."

Bella gripped his shirt tightly. "You promise?"

Edward tipped her head back and kissed her lightly. "Where else am I going to go?"

Her face felt hot and she ducked her head.

"Well it's now or never," she muttered.

Edward laughed lightly and took her hand. She was slightly surprised to see his car parked outside, but on the other hand wasn't. He hated riding in her car. He constantly complained how slow it was.

The car ride was thankfully silent. Bella was too nervous to try to make conversation. Edward didn't try to engage her into any sort of small talk much to her own relief. She was happy to drown her thoughts in Clair De Lune. Leaning her head against the window, it seemed like no time passed at all before they were in front of Edward's house. Although, that shouldn't have been too shocking as he was a speed demon and drove like a madman.

Bella reached out a took Edward's hand. He tried to smile at her, but Bella could see the tightness of it. The smile didn't reach his eyes. Edward was just as nervous about this as she was.

"Like you said, now or never."

Bella could only nod in response, her throat too dry and tight to form a proper sentence. Edward squeezed her hand lightly before they walked up the porch together. Esme was standing in the doorway as they walked up. She wore a warm smile on her face as she watched the two of them. Her eyes bright with excitement as she glanced at their intertwined hands.

"Bella, it's so nice to see you again! Please, come in."


	17. Sixteen

Bella smiled as genuinely as she could muster. "It's nice to see you too."

Esme laid a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from Edward, guiding her further into the living room. Her eyes nervously flickered towards the rest of the Cullens. Her attention was immediately drawn to Emmett and Rosalie who were sitting on the floor, playing a video game. Rosalie was winning if Emmett's angry shouts were anything to go by.

Bella found herself unable to really look away from Rosalie. The blonde had never paid her much attention. Nothing short of glaring if she did decide to notice her. This was the most relaxed state Bella had ever seen her in. Her laughter was deeper than she would have expected. She was almost in awe at the happy smile that graced her lips.

A victorious shout drew her attention towards the other side of the living room where Alice and Jasper sat with a small chess table in between them. Alice had won by the looks of it. She smiled widely as she leaned over the table to pepper Jasper with kisses. Jasper did not look put out in any way by her triumph. Bella quickly looked away when she saw the warm look on his face as he gently stroked the side of her face, bumping his nose against her own. She felt as if she was intruding on something private. Seeing Jasper so loose and happy was also somewhat of a shock as he, along with Rosalie, never paid her much mind unless it was to glower at her.

Alice untangled herself from Jasper and turned towards her.

"Bella!" She shouted happily. Before she could even blink, Alice was in front of her wrapping her cool arms around Bella into a tight hug.

Bella smiled and hugged her back. "Hey."

She couldn't help but glance nervously back towards Jasper. He stayed on the other side of the room but greeted her with a nod. Bella nodded in return.

Alice pulled away, drawing Bella's attention back to her. She couldn't help but be wary at the knowing smile spreading across her face. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" She asked, confusion coloring her voice.

This only made Alice grin wider which did nothing but further make Bella anxious.

"Alice-" Edward started to warn, but she cut him off with a flick of her wrist.

"This is girl talk, Edward. Stay out of it."

Bella sent an alarmed looked towards her boyfriend, but he could only shrug in response. She glowered at him causing Edward to start laughing and shake his head as he held his hands up in mock surrender. The coward. He'd be no help to her now. Alice was a force to be reckoned with.

"Girl talk about what?" Bella asked cautiously, unsure of where the conversation was going.

Alice playfully knocked her arm. "You know...geez, it couldn't have been that great if you've already forgotten it."

"Hey!" Edward cried out in injustice.

Bella glanced back towards him, only to see the playful grin on his face. She flushed as it suddenly hit her what Alice had been hinting at. She wanted to know more about her and Edward's kiss. Bella was sure her whole face and neck were red by the way Alice was laughing at her, along with everyone else.

"We'll talk later," she said with a wink. "I want to know everything about that kiss."

Bella could only shake her head in response. She was sure her face was going to be permanently stained red. She opened her mouth to speak, when the sound off splintering plastic filled the room. All eyes turned flickered to where Emmett and Rosalie were sitting. Rosalie held a crushed playstation controller in her hand. Her dark eyes were trained angrily on Bella as her lips pulled up in a small snarl. Bella instinctively took a step back, her blood freezing with fear. Something blurred in her peripheral and Edward was standing in front of her, his chest rumbling defensively.

Emmett was up in a flash, a heavy frown set on his face as he stood between Edward and Rosalie. He easily towered over Edward. Their lips were moving but Bella couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. She tensed up and turned away, her arms folding tightly across her chest. She barely noticed Esme wrapping her arm comfortingly around her shoulders. She knew this had been a bad idea.

 _I shouldn't have come._

"Then she should keep her thoughts to herself!" Edward shouted, causing Bella to jump.

No one said anything. Bella was certain they could all hear the hammering of her heart against her rib cage. She gulped heavily.  
The tension inside the room suddenly broke. It snapped like a rubber band as something warm wormed its way into her chest. She could feel it leaking into her entire body. This feeling spread slowly throughout her veins, and she felt her muscles relaxing. Bella took a deep breath, almost instantly feeling calm. Everyone in the room seemed to uncoil, stepping down from their defensive stances. Edward took a step back to stand by her side, reaching out wrap his arm around her waist.

Emmett had settled back down next to Rosalie, pulling her in close before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Bella's mouth almost fell open at the small smile that spread across her face as she leaned into Emmett's side. Bell was once again taken aback by how content she looked. She turned away, feeling as if she was intruding once again on another private moment.

"Thank you, Jasper," Esme said before stepping away from Bella towards Rosalie.

Bella felt her lips twitch as Esme stood above the cuddling couple. Her hands were locked firmly onto her hips, making her look like every image of a scolding mother.

"Rosalie, we've talked about this. Bella is a part of this family now. We respect each other in this house. Don't be rude," she scolded.

Rosalie's jaw clenched tightly as she glared past Esme at Bella. "I'm not a child," she bit out.

Esme stepped slightly to the right to block Rosalie's view of Bella. "If you wouldn't act like one, I wouldn't have to treat you like one. Like I said, Bella is a part of this family now, and you will not make her feel unwelcome in this house."

Esme glanced back towards Bella, an apologetic smile on her face. Bella's eyes slid past her to the find that both Emmett and Rosalie were missing from their previous spot the living room. Taking a quick glance around, the pair was nowhere to be found in the room. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Esme spoke again.

"Don't worry about Rosalie, dear. She means well. She's just...worried."

Bella nervously pulled at the hem of her shirt. "Worried? About what?"

"That this will end badly."

It was the first time Jasper had ever addressed her directly. Bella frowned as she saw the hard look on his face. Jasper had never been as outright aggressive towards Bella as Rosalie as been, but he was never friendly towards her either. There was something about him that never failed to make her nervous. She never knew what to expect from him.

"Jasper don't-" Edward started to say but he was cut off.

"No, she came here to learn more about us. There's no use in sugar coatin' anything."

"She didn't come here to be harassed," Edward hissed. "She wants to talk to Carlisle."

Bella put her hand on Edward's chest to stop him from continuing. As much as it terrified her, she didn't want to be coddled. Out of everyone in the room, she knew Jasper was the most likely to give it to her straight.

"What do you mean by badly?"

"Our kind doesn't normally associate with humans. Most travel nomadically in small covens and only come in contact with the humans they plan to feed on. Our family is different. We're more sedentary than others. We interact with humans more. To do this successfully, we can't get too close. It's a danger to both parties if we do. You've gotten too close."

Bella swallowed nervously. "And what happens when humans get too close?"

For moment, no one spoke. Alice walked to his side, taking Jasper's hands into her own, causing him to pause and look over towards her. Bella could feel how Edward's nervous gaze bored into the side of her face. He was no doubt worrying over her.

"What-"

Bella was cut off by the door opening. She turned to see Dr. Cullen walking in, carrying a small brown, leather bag and his lab coat hung over his left shoulder. He smiled widely when he spotted Bella, as if he didn't sense the growing tension inside the room.

"Bella, I'm glad you could come visit," he said easily, like he hadn't heard anything said before that.

An awkward smile spread across her face as she said, "Thank you for having me."

Carlisle visibly brightened as he walked towards Esme. He hugged her tightly as if he hadn't seen her in a week and whispered something into her ear. Bella turned away once more when he pressed a light kiss to her temple causing Esme to giggle. Edward chuckled causing Bella to glance curiously up at him.

"They're worse than Rosalie and Emmett," he whispered into ear causing her lips to twitch.

Bella couldn't help but laugh as did Alice and Jasper. Esme turned sharply, her face clouded with mock anger as she wagged her finger in their direction.

"Behave! Don't fill her head with such nonsense."

Carlisle warped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. "Well maybe not nonsense, but-"

Dr. Cullen pretend to be hurt as Esme dug her elbow into his ribs. His eyes were alight with affection as he squeezed her tighter to his side. His gaze shifted onto Bella once more as he asked,

"How's your head? It's been healing well I hope."

Bella fumbled, not exactly expecting the question. "Yeah. It's fine. All healed up now," she said with a nervous chuckle.

Alice's twinkling laugh answered her. "Can't be all healed if you're with that useless lump."

Emmett's booming laughter echoed throughout the house. That meant he and Rosalie hadn't completely left like she initially believed. Bella started to laugh but found herself struggling to keep a straight face as Edward shot her a betrayed look. The others laughed as well causing Edward to pout. Bella patted his arm soothingly.

The room soon sobered. Carlisle straightened his back, his smile was gone and replaced with a much more serious expression.

"Edward told us some concerning things about the Blacks. Jacob in particular."

Bella immediately tensed and jumped to her friend's defense. "It's not his fault. He didn't know what he was doing."

"That's the problem," Jasper said, an edge to his voice. "He didn't know what he was doing. We're lucky it was just you he told this to."

Carlisle held up a hand in Jasper's direction before speaking once more. "Bella can you tell me exactly what he told you about us?"

Bella shifted uncomfortably, trying to remember what Jacob had said. "He didn't say much. Just that his dad warned him you were dangerous because you all were vampires. He didn't really believe it. He thought it was all nonsense."

"He told you that?"

She nodded jerkily. "Just about. My dad had also mentioned how Billy told him that you guys were dangerous, but he hadn't told him said anything about your secret. They used to get into fights about you actually. My dad really likes you Dr. Cullen."

Bella winced slightly as she nervously rambled on, not meaning to say that much. She really needed to shut up. The others laughed while Carlisle smiled at her.

"Your father is a good man, I'm honored."

Another round of silence fell over the room. She felt like a complete dunce. Bella wondered what else he was going to ask since she felt like she wasn't helping them figure out anything. She felt like she was just making a fool of herself in front of them. It was a horrible feeling.

Jasper broke the silence.

"Bella, no offense, but why did you believe the Black boy about us? Vampires aren't exactly a serious superstition in today's world."

She flushed, anger sparking inside her chest. "I didn't! Not at first anyway. It was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. The only reason I even considered the idea was because he told this right after the accident."

Jasper glared at Edward causing him to wince and frown. "I don't regret my decision," he said, tightening his arm around her waist.

Bella felt her body go cold as if she had been doused in freezing water. Edward was talking about his decision to save her. God, she had once thought that maybe wanted to take her out for suspecting something about them, but it was worse hearing those thoughts confirmed out loud.

"Jasper," Esme said, a warning tone clear in her voice. "That's enough of that. There's no use dwelling on it. What's done is done. We're here now to talk about what happens next, nothing else."

Jasper's mouth snapped shut, his lips pressed into a hard line. He didn't say any more.

"This isn't good," Carlisle said, bringing the attention back onto him. "The treaty was put in place to protect both sides. You see Bella, even though Jacob did not have any malicious intentions he's put our family in danger. The elders need to be aware of this."

Bella nodded. Edward had mentioned this earlier.

"Bella, I mean no offense by this, but we all agreed it wouldn't be wise to take you to meet with the elders. Alice mentioned a...misunderstanding of sorts that could take place before we could properly explain ourselves. It would be safer for all of us if we were to meet them without you."

She nodded again. "I understand."

"I know Edward mentioned some questions you have about our kind. We'll most likely have to rebuild the treaty between us and the elders. I'm prepared to ask permission for you to join our family properly, if that's what you wish."

Bella felt her mind go blank. She struggled to think of a response. To properly join, she'd have to give up her humanity. She'd have to give up everything.

"I-well I don't…." She trailed off unsure of what to say, stumbling over herself.

Bella hated this feeling. She could feel the pity practically pouring for everyone in the room. She didn't need Jasper to confirm it. Esme stepped forward, a sad smile on her face. She held a hand out for Bella.

"Come with me."

"What?"

Esme stepped forward and took Bella's hand, pulling her towards the staircase. Edward tried to follow but stopped at the bottom of the stairs at the warning glance Esme shot him.

"I want to talk to Bella alone."

Edward glanced between the two of them before nodding hesitantly. Bella nervously followed the woman up the staircase to a outside terrace. It dark outside now, chilly as the wind was blowing slightly, causing Bella shiver and cross her arms tightly over her chest in attempts to help conserve heat. Before she could say anything, Alice was sliding the glass door open holding a fleece blanket in her hands.

She smirked as she said, "I'd thought you would need this."

Bella laughed slightly. "How did you know?"

Alice gave an over-the-top shrug. "I guess I'm just good like that."

Bella gratefully took the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders as Alice sat at one of the plush chairs adorning the patio. Esme immediately started to apologize and asked if there was anything else she needed.

"I promise I'm fine."

"Please don't hesitate to ask for anything."

"I won't, I promise."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Bella glanced out into the darkened woods, too worked up to really enjoy the view. She had no idea what Esme wished to speak to her about.

Esme reached out and laid a gentle hand on her arm, pulling Bella out of her anxious thoughts.

"This is not an easy decision to make. None of us got the chance to chose as you do. It's a lot to ask of anyone, let alone a young girl like yourself."

"I'm not that young," she protested weakly. Bella was completely out of her element, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it.

Esme smiled at her, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're smart, dear, but nothing will prepare you for this. I want to tell you my story."

Bella licked her lips nervously. "Your story?"

"I want to make this as easy for you as I can, Bella. I'm hoping my story will help with that."

Bella tightened her hold on the blanket, completely entranced by the woman beside her.

"It all started with my first husband." 


	18. Seventeen

**Hello everyone! I know I've been MIA for a couple of months, but it's been really busy for me between school and work. However, with finals being over, I am hoping to get back on a more regular schedule. Please enjoy this next chapter! I love to hear your thoughts :) Thank you for being patient with me.**

Esme laughed causing Bella to wince at the bitter sound spilling from her lips.

"Charles was not the most pleasant man, however, he was charming and had a solid earning. My parents greatly encouraged our marriage, especially when he didn't mind my silly little ideas about life."

Bella frowned and glanced nervously back at Alice. Her friend sat quietly in the chair, a somber look across her face. She offered a comforting smile, but Bella couldn't return the favor. Esme sounded so devoid of any emotion that it was making Bella feel uncomfortable. She's never seen Esme in such a state and she wasn't entirely sure how to respond to it. The woman was as stoic as a statue as she stood staring out into the dark forest, lost in her own thoughts.

Bella's nails dug lightly into her arm. "I guess I don't have to imagine too hard what kind of an asshole he was."

Surprisingly, Esme let out a small bark of laughter at her comment.

"No dear, you don't. He was a nasty man with a nasty temper. That's all I have to say. I was never happier than when he left for the war. I had honestly hoped to never to see him again. Ever unanswered letter gave me hope. I guess I wasn't that lucky."

Bella shivered but not from the cold. "Did your parents really do nothing about him? They had to have known."

Esme smiled sadly, reaching out to pat Bella's arm. "Carlisle took me back to my home a few decades after I was turned; after I had mostly settled into my new life. I had found some letters I had hidden in a trunk. My parents were not happy with me. They thought Charles was being too indulgent with me. I should have been grateful for how he was providing for me. I was the lady of the house. As a wife, I was not fully completing my duties to please my husband, and he could punish me however he saw fit."

Bella shook her head in disgust, rubbing her hand across her lips. "Jesus Christ," she whispered.

She felt Alice reach up and grab her hand from behind, offering her silent support. Bella squeezed her hand thankfully, but couldn't take her eyes off of the woman beside her. It felt wrong to have Alice comforting her when Bella wasn't the one to have to go through such a thing. Concern flickered across Esme's face as she took a step closer towards Bella.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. If you're not comfortable-"

"No, no. It's fine. Well, it's not fine-completely the opposite-but I want to hear it."

Esme's frown deepened. "If at any point you want me to stop, just say the word."

Bella flashed her a tight smile and shook her head slightly. "I'm fine, I promise."

Alice's cool hand slipped from her own, not before giving her a brief squeeze once more. Esme nodded hesitantly as she watched Bella. She opened her mouth to speak again, however, her tone was more hesitant as if she were waiting for Bella to ask her to stop.

"My happiest memory was when I found out I was pregnant." A small smile of genuine warmth bloomed across her face as she spoke. "For the first time, I had felt hope. I felt I wouldn't be alone anymore with Charles. My son was the absolute light of my life. I-I'll never forget the feeling of him in my arms."

Esme trailed off, a happy yet somber sound in her voice. Bella had the sinking feeling she already knew where this story was heading.

"I had gone into labor too early. He was so small...so beautiful. I had stayed up all night with him despite the doctor's warning of rest. His lungs were too weak and too full of fluid. He got an infection. My poor baby never stood a chance. He was gone as soon as he came. Died two days later because of the fever."

Bella gulped, feeling tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "What was his name?"

Her voice broke a little at the end causing both Alice and Esme to flock to her side. Alice rubbed her shoulders comforting while Esme started to apologize once again.

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry. Don't cry, dear. It...It happened a long time ago."

Bella wiped her eyes with her sleeves. "I'm good, I'm good. I'm sorry. My mom...well she had a miscarriage once with one of her previous boyfriends. It was an awful thing to watch her go through. I hated that I couldn't really do anything to help her. I can't even imagine something...something like that."

The three sat in silence. Bella gripped onto Esme's hands tightly as she delicately asked once more, "What was his name?"

The happy smile spread across her face once more.

"His name was George. Carlisle and I go to visit him every year. Edward comes with us as well. He...well Edward was there with me after my transformation. I know he's told you how he was the first Carlisle turned. I was the second. When I had first discovered his gift, I tried to hide my thoughts from him." Esme gave a short laugh as Alice snorted. "That was a lost cause. He couldn't help but see the pain I was going through. I had-when George had died I couldn't handle it. The one thing in my life that had brought me joy was gone. I had failed then as a wife and a mother."

Something sparked inside Bella's mind. She remembered how Edward said Carlisle had stolen their deaths. Bella couldn't help but wring her hands together as she asked,

"Wh-how did Carlisle change you?"

Esme hesitated as she looked at Bella, her tone wary. "I don't want to upset you anymore than I have."

Bella shook her head once more. "I'm not usually this emotional. Your story has just struck a chord. I want to hear this."

Esme gently stroked her hair as she said, "You put on a brave face, Bella."

"It's not just a face."

"I'm beginning to see that. But I guess you can imagine what I had done with my mind such in a dark place. I didn't want to go on. Carlisle was assigned as my doctor. I-I wasn't going to make it, so he made the decision."

Bella frowned. "Do you regret it?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Do I? It's hard really to say. Carlisle has given me so much. He's given me so much love and life. I...I finally got the family I've always wanted. All these things I never thought I deserved. Carlisle saved me in more ways than one. Even with all the pain it caused, I will never hate him for doing what he did."

Esme's eyes were alight and bright with passion as she stared at Bella. She reached forward to take her hands.

"You get the choice, Bella. None of us can make it for you."

Bella felt her throat starting to close up. She had no idea what to say.

"Bella, I can see it," Alice whispered. Bella jerked her head over to look at her friend. Her eyes were far off, a glazed look about them as she spoke.

"We'll actually be sisters. Oh, Bella, I can really see it. You'll get forever to do all the things you've ever wanted to do. You'll never be alone. Once you're family, you're always family."

Before Bella could even think of a response, Rosalie appeared on the patio. Her dark glare cut into Alice as her icy voice echoed lightly around them.

"Why are you lying to her?" She hissed, causing all three women to tense.

Alice frowned and turned to face the blonde. "How are we lying?"

Rosalie scoffed. "That she has a choice."

Bella balked, her face draining of color as she stared into Rosalie's cold, dark eyes. She had said it with such finality that it scared her. This is the one thing Edward has been promising her from the beginning. It was a choice. Her choice. A choice he promised no one would make for her. However, the seed of doubt had already planted itself. Edward had mentioned before that it was dangerous for humans to know about vampires. A tiny voice questioned in the back of her head if what Rosalie was saying was actually true.

"What do you mean?" She asked hesitantly.

"You don't get a choice. None of us did. You have to be turned."

Esme took a step forward, trying to defuse some of the tension. "Of course Bella has a choice. We won't force-"

"What about the Volturi? What happens to us when they find out about a human having knowledge of us? The moment Edward confessed our secret to her was the moment he signed her death warrant."

Alice let out a frustrated sigh. Bella turned her head to see Alice rubbing at her temples, her eyes flickering back and forth as if she was struggling to keep up with something that was moving too quickly.

"I don't see anything concerning the Volturi."

Rosalie shook her head, her lips pursed angrily. "That doesn't mean they won't find out. Your visions aren't always certain. Something could always change. We're in danger every moment she walks as a human, you know this."

Edward appeared behind her with Carlisle in tow. His hands were clenched tightly by his side. Bella could see how he was grinding his teeth together.

"So what would you do, Rosalie? Do you think we should turn her now? Without her permission?"

Anger flickered across her face as she whipped around and hissed at Edward. "You know I would never do that. I wouldn't wish this life on anyone, but what's the point in lying to her about the choice she has? You took that away from her the moment you decided to tell her about our world!"

"There is no use in shouting at one another," Carlisle said as he slid past Edward onto the porch. "Edward, she does have a point about the Volturi. Bella should know about our laws."

Emmett suddenly appeared, pushing his way past Edward and Carlisle to Rosalie. He warped his arms around her waist, but his eyes were trained on Bella.

"Bella, you know you're a friend. You're apart of this family now. The Volturi would kill us all if they found out we revealed our secret to a human."

Bella felt her body go cold. Fear seized her heart as she turned her gaze to Edward refused to meet her eyes. His face was contorted with both frustration and sorrow. Bella could see how the metal of the doorframe bent to the shape of his fingers. He looked like he was blaming himself. For a moment, Bella hated him. Hated that he hadn't been completely honest. But was that actually true? Edward had been warning her from the beginning that she was better off not knowing their secret. She had ignored that. She still decided to stay even when he confessed to her what that actually was.

Bella took a hesitant step towards him and took his cold hand into hers. The space between his eyebrows furled as he stared down at their hands, still refusing to look at her.

"Stop it."

A wan smile slowly spread on his face as he glanced up at her. "Stop what?"

"Acting like everything's your fault. I...I wanted to do this. I wanted to know more. I'm as much to blame as you are." Bella turned to face Carlisle, her tone serious as she said, "What about your laws? What exactly is the Volturi?"

Carlisle's lips twitched as he gestured towards the hall across from them. "Do you mind if we step into my office? I can explain more there. Plus, it'll be much warmer."

Bella nodded thankfully and stepped inside, Edward following closely behind her. She couldn't help but glance back towards Rosalie. She was paying no mind to whatever Esme was telling her, her gaze was solely fixed onto her. It was the least hateful look the blonde had ever sent her way. Rosalie was not angry as she watched them disappear down the hall. She looked defeated. There was an unspeakable sadness in her eyes as she stared after Bella.

Bella couldn't help but swallow uncomfortably as she looked away, unable to hold the blonde's gaze. A sinking feeling rose in the pit of her stomach as Carlisle lead her and Edward into his office.

 _I wouldn't wish this life on anyone._

"-ella?"

Bella blinked as she suddenly realized Carlisle was trying to grab her attention. Her face turned red as she ducked away from their concerned glances.

"I'm sorry. You were saying?"

Carlisle's eyes flickered towards Edward before he began to speak, "The Volturi are our leaders. This organization was started long, long before any of us were even thought of."

"How long?" Bella asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of her voice.

A humorless smile played at Carlisle's lips. "Thousands and thousands of years. 1200 years BC. They are rumored to be the first vampires."

Air hissed between her teeth as Bella inhaled sharply, surprised at what he was saying. Carlisle gestured towards a large painting behind his desk. It looked to be depicting a ball of sorts. Many couples danced in period clothing while on a balcony above three men watched. Everything on the canvas seemed to be blurred slightly, making it hard to make out the expressions of anyone in the crowd let alone the three men. It left an uncomfortable feeling bubbling in her stomach.

"Wow."

"They are our peacekeepers. The founders of our society. There is not one place throughout our world that they haven't touched. That they don't have informants in. There are certain rules put in place to protect ourselves. The law states that humans should not be made aware of our kind."

"So...what does that mean for me?"

"Well, it could mean a number of things. If the Volturi were to find out about you, they could possibly kill us all for breaking the law. However, I am not a stranger to them. I lived with the Volturi for a time. I was practically an outcast for my...diet choices. One of the kings, Aro, found this to be quite amusing. He wished to know more about how it worked. Aro and I became unlikely allies. We parted on good terms. Most likely if the Volturi were to find out about you, we would have to turn you."

Bella laughed in disbelief. "So that's what Rosalie meant. I'd have no choice because your laws forbid humans to know about your kind."

Edward winced and shook his head. "No, you still have a choice Bella."

"How? I...I can't stay human without knowing I'm the reason you and your father would be killed."

"You can leave. None of us will turn you against you will, no matter what the law says. You could live a normal human life, Bella. Move back in with your mother in Jacksonville, go to college, get...married."

Edward struggled to finish his sentence causing Bella to frown. His voice was small and tapered off towards the end. Bella felt her heart clench at the sad look that fell across his face. He was just as affected by this as she was. Whether she liked it or not, Bella had chosen this. Even though all her fear and anger, she had pursued Edward just as much as he had her. She was just as much to blame as him. Bella leaned over and gently pressed her lips against his shoulder. Edward rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Carlisle cleared his throat quietly causing Bella to jerk back. Her face flushed as she saw the amused, happy smile on his face.

"There might be a way to get around that, Bella. We could set a date, so to speak. You can still decide when to be turned. It doesn't have to be tonight. It doesn't have to be within the next year. As long as we have the intention to turn you, we can spin this situation in our favor. We have time to think about this."

Bella felt a spark of hope at his words. Billy had mentioned the Cullen's world would kill her. If she could decide when she was turned, that meant she still had time. She didn't have to leave her father. She could still go visit her mother. Maybe even go to college. Rosalie was right that she didn't have a choice to be turned, but she would be able to decide when. The whole processed seemed a lot less daunting that way. She still had time to learn more about what it meant to be a vampire. She had time to prepare.

Bella swayed slightly, the pressure of the situation finally came crashing down on her. She felt exhausted. Edward soon led her down the stairs and to her truck, but not before both Alice and Esme stole a hug from her. Esme reminded Bella that was always welcomed before she and Edward left.

The car ride was silent. Bella honestly didn't really know what to say. She knew Edward. She knew he was without a doubt beating himself up for everything. She knew there was nothing she could say to make him stop. She could only grip his hand tightly as she drove home, hoping that her silent offer of comfort showed him that she was still here for him.

Even as she pulled in the driveway, Bella did not pull away from him. She cut the engine and sat silently. Edward didn't speak. He only rubs his thumb across the back of her hand.

There was a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention. Bella turned and say that the living room lights were on. The blinds quivered as something moved behind the blinds. Or more like someone. Her lips twitched as she shared a look with Edward, who wore an equally amused smile.

"Charlie?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.

He nodded. "He's just checking on you. He heard us pull up a couple of minutes ago."

Bella glanced towards Edward before gently pressing her lips against his cheek. "I'm sorry, Edward. This is just-I don't know what to do."

Edward leaned further into her touch and brought his hand up to caress her face. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You won't do this alone, Bella. I'll be there right beside you, no matter what you choose."

Edward kissed her goodnight before she went inside, joking about Charlie chasing him off with his shotgun. With a heavy heart, Bella had another sleepless night. She stayed up all night tossing and turning, trying to sort through all she had learned today. Bella was at a loss. She had absolutely no clue what to do. She felt like she was slowly drowning. Carlisle had been sincere in his promise. She fully believed the Cullens would not turn her until she decided to be. However, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen to her family? She'd have to leave them, that was certain. She could get away with phone calls for a while, but when would they become suspicious? How long would she have before they would have to lie and tell them she was dead?

Bella groaned and rubbed her temples as a headache began to form.

 _One day at a time._ She told herself. _Take it one day at a time._

She'd go crazy otherwise.


	19. Eighteen

After the talk with Esme, Bella couldn't stop thinking about her mother. She hadn't talked to Renee in a couple of weeks. She and Phil were still traveling around. They were trying to find the right place for them and the right ball team for Phil. Renee had emailed Bella last week saying how they were finally getting settled down in Jacksonville, Florida and left a number for her to call. Bella had meant to call her sooner, but she just got so caught up in all the vampire business and her friends' drama that she had completely forgotten.

"Bella!" Renee shouted gleefully, making Bella smile.

"Hey, mom."

"Don't 'hey mom' me. We haven't talked in forever. What's been going on? How are your friends? Are you doing alright in school? Of course, you are. You're smart as a whip. How've you been feeling, baby?"

Bella laughed. "Take a deep breath mom. Everything is fine."

"You know how excitable I get. I just miss my girl."

Guilt clawed at her insides as Bella nervously bit her lip. "I'm sorry mom. I miss you too. Things have been crazy busy around here I barely got think to think. How's Jacksonville?"

"It's wonderful. Phil and I have found the cutest house! And Phil's been working so hard, practicing every day."

"So are you guys planning on staying in Jacksonville?"

"I think it's the one, baby. This team seems like such a great fit for him. Oh Bella, you'd love it here. It's sunny every day and you could even bring that boy of yours to come visit."

Bella flushed at the teasing tone in her mother's voice.

"What boy?" She asked with a slightly panicked tone.

The last time she and Renee had spoken spoke Edward was still the friend who pulled her out of the way of Tyler's van. Bella loved her mother, but sometimes she could be a little too much to handle. She wasn't too excited to really tell her about her budding relationship with Edward.

There's no way she could have known about them dating without Bella telling her. Not unless Charlie had said anything, but Bella seriously doubted they talked anymore outside of what was necessary. As if hearing his name, the said man walked into the kitchen and started to dig around the cabinets as he hunted for a snack. He was blissfully unaware of Bella's gaze narrowing on his back.

Renee giggled as she said, "Edward Cullen. Charlie's been telling me all about him."

"I didn't realize you and dad talked."

Bella spoke a slightly louder volume than necessary, successfully catching Charlie's attention. He froze momentarily before slowly turning towards her. Bella smiled widely at the wary look in his eyes as he faced her.

"He picked up the phone one of the nights I called. Apparently, you were out on a date with a certain boy. I can't believe you keep this from me! My baby has her first boyfriend and I'm missing it!"

Renee squealed happily causing Bella to wince and pull the phone away from her ear. Her glare hardened as her mother continued to hound her about Edward, causing Charlie to slide gingerly out of the kitchen with his arms raised in mock surrender. Bella playfully knocked him in the stomach as he passed, not believing his innocent act for a second. He erupted into loud peals of laughter as he settled into the living room, not helping his case at all.

Bella would not forget this nor would she be very forgiving.

"Promise me you'll bring him to visit this summer."

"I don't know, mom."

Now that she thought about it, Bella had never really asked what happened when Edward and his family went out into the sun. All she could picture was Edward promptly bursting into flames and disappearing in a plume of black smoke. She felt her face flush red with embarrassment that the thought had even crossed her mind.

"I will be meeting this Edward Cullen. Even if I have to drag the two of you down here kicking and screaming."

Bella couldn't help but laugh, a smile playing on her lips as she spoke. "I believe it."

There was no force on earth that could stop her mother once she set her mind to something. Bella full-heartedly believed she would find a way to get her and Edward down to Jacksonville one way or another. She continued to talk to her mother, listening to her talk about Phil and his first big game coming up. Taking with her was helping Bella keep her mind off the heavy and emotional past few days she'd been having. Everything felt a little bit further away as she listened to her mother's voice.

Bella felt her chest ache as she hung up the phone. She had missed talking with her mother, and she decided she would make more of an effort to talk to her.

Bella shook her head sadly before walking into the living room, her eyes boring a hole into the side of Charlie's skull. It took everything she had not to burst out laughing seeing how he shrunk further down into the couch as she stalked closer.

"I can't believe you told mom about Edward!" She exclaimed.

Charlie's eyes were sparkling, despite the serious tone he was attempting to speak with. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I thought you had already told her."

"Yeah, well assuming makes an ass out of both you and me."

Charlie laughed, ducking out of the way from Bella's hand that swung a little too close to the back of his head. She yelped as he caught onto her wrist and yanked her over the back of the couch. Their laughter echoed slightly throughout the living room as Bella straightened herself out to sit beside her father.

"I was thinking maybe we could go to the diner tonight."

"The diner? Why?" Bella asked, cocking her head slightly.

Charlie shrugged sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. "Well, um, we've both been pretty busy between work and school. I feel like we haven't really gotten to spend much time with each other lately, so I thought we could go out. If you don't want to go, I under-"

Bella shook her head. "No. That actually sounds great, dad."

"Really?" He asked, sounding unsure.

She couldn't help but flash him a small smile. "I think it'll be fun. Besides, I could use a break from cooking."

Charlie smiled widely at her teasing tone. "I seem to recall someone hoarding the kitchen, refusing to even let me take so much as take a step inside."

"That's not true. I make you do the dishes."

Charlie laughed deeply. "Well, I can't argue with that. C'mon kiddo, let's head out if you're ready."

Bella was happy Charlie insisted not in taking his patrol car out but driving her truck. As much as she tried, the car had always made her feel awkward. She always felt she stood a little too out when riding in it.

The two sat in peaceful silence. This was another thing Bella appreciated about Charlie. Neither ever felt the need to fill the air with idle chatting and were content to think quietly to themselves. Renee lived to talk Bella's ear off. It was sorta an inside joke between Bella and her mom that she would constantly having to remind Renee to breathe. Bella smiled as she thought of her mother. She really did miss her. Bella made the decision then she would go visit her mother over the summer, without or without Edward. She could use a few weeks to soak up all the vitamin D she's been missing in this endlessly grey town.

Bella and Charlie stepped inside the diner, both glancing around as they searched for an empty table. The evenings were often the busiest time for the diner.

"Well Bells, are you feeling a booth tonight or-"

"Angela!" Bella all but yelled in surprise as her friend came walking out of the diner kitchen holding a pitcher of coffee.

Angela smiled brightly as she waved. Bella waved back before she heard Charlie quietly chuckling underneath his breath. She turned towards him, flushing heavily once the mortification of interrupting her father had finally set in. She had started to apologize, but Charlie only smiled and shook his head.

"Go say hi. I'll grab us a table."

Bella grinned, cheeks still burning. "Thanks, dad."

Spreading her arms wide, Bella drew Angela into a hug as she said, "I can't believe you didn't tell me you got the job! I knew you would."

Angela ducked her head, unable to hide the happy smile spreading across on her face. "Yeah. My mom's certainly happy about it. I can finally start to pay her back for my prom dress. Although, I'm unsure how I feel about the uniform."

Angela twirled in a tiny circle, causing the two girls to laugh. She wore a light blue dress adorned with white details around her collar and sleeves. There was a small, white apron tied around her waist that Bella suspected was more for decoration than having any actual function. Even Angela's name tag was white and blue. She looked like she just stepped out of the 50s. Bella grinned broadly as she began to tease her friend.

"You're certainly living the _Twin Peaks_ dream."

Bella was not one usually for dramas, feeling they were often too melodramatic to be enjoyable, but she could not deny the combined power of both Angela's and Jessica's puppy dog eyes. Apparently, the show had been one of the first things to bring them together as friends and they wanted to share that with Bella. She agreed to watch the first couple episodes, commenting on how it couldn't hurt to do that at least. Bella hadn't expected to truly like the show, but she had been easily sucked into it. The rest was history.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Shut up. I'm embarrassed enough as it is. Tommy had asked me this morning why I was wearing my Halloween costume in May."

Bella shook her head in response, laughing as she said. "No, you look good. I like the color on you."

Angela preened in an overdramatic fashion that made Bella smile. However, her cheerful demeanor suddenly soured as she leaned closer to Bella. Her voice dropping into a whisper as she said,

"Jessica broke up with Mike Friday night."

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh my god. Why didn't she say anything?"

Angela shrugged lightly. "I think she just wanted to be alone. Lauren is with her now. She actually called me this morning saying how she wanted to surprise Jessica with a girls' night on Tuesday to try to help cheer her up. Can you come?"

"Yeah, of course. Anything for Jess. I'm sure my dad won't mind."

Angela glanced nervously down at her wristwatch. "I gotta get back to work. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?."

"See ya."

Bella nervously picked at her fingers as she walked over to the table her father had managed to snag. She was worried about Jess.

Charlie cleared his throat as Bella sat down. "How's Angela doing?"

"She's good. Actually, she was just telling me how she and Lauren were planning a surprise girls' night to cheer up Jessica. Is it alright if I go over to Jess's house Tuesday night?"

Charlie hummed quietly as he ran a hand over his mouth. "This wouldn't happen to be about her breaking things off with the Newton boy, would it?."

Bella reared back in surprise. "How did you hear about that?" She blurted out.

Bella had just found out about the break up not two days later. How in the world did her dad hear about this before she did?

Charlie tugged on his ear, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Well, Lauren Mallory's father works at the station with me. He said his daughter was saying with Jessica this weekend to comfort her after her breakup. Besides Bell, their fight at school got around quickly. I couldn't believe some of the stuff that I heard the Newton boy say to her. He's always seemed like a nice boy. A decent basketball player, too. Never really had a lot of trouble with him."

Bella dug her nails into her knees to keep from blowing up at her father. Her jaw clenching tightly as she ground her teeth together in anger at what he had said. Mike had been nothing but an ass to Jessica. She was sure her face was turning a bright shade of red by the alarmed look on Charlie's face. He immediately started to try to backpedal to appease her growing fury.

"It's a small town, Bell. Word gets around fast here."

"Well people should mind their own business," she hissed.

A sort of bittersweet smile spread across her father's face. "Your mother said the same thing."

Bella gulped in response to the sudden lump forming in her throat. This lack of privacy was one of the main things that strained her parent's marriage. Renee couldn't stand the rumors spiraling around town about her shotgun marriage and teen pregnancy. She absolutely hated the way people it the town seemed to look down on her, including Charlie's parents. Especially, her grandparents. Her grandmother hadn't believed Renee to be a very capable mother and constantly berated her. That had been the big fight that finally pushed her mother over the edge. She refused to be treated in such a way and was tired of Charlie choosing his mother over her.

Bella could see now how such a thing could drive her mother away. From the moment she got here, the people of Forks were constantly watching her and whispering. Bella could deal with it because she could care less about what they thought of her, but she refused to have these people spread hateful lies about Jessica and her relationship with Mike.

"Mike was not the best boyfriend to have. To be honest, I think he only dated her to try to make me jealous. Jessica deserves a lot better than him."

Charlie rose his hands in defense. "I'm not arguing with that Bella."

Bella nodded. "Good," she stated firmly.

The next ten minutes were frankly awkward between her and father. Bella sipped mindlessly on her water as she gazed out the window, not in the mood to start another conversation with him. She was still seething at the thought of people taking Mike's side over Jess's. Charlie sighed heavily and began to apologize.

"You know I didn't mean anything by that, Bells. It's just what folks are saying."

Bella snorted. "That's the problem. Folks shouldn't be saying anything. It's none of their business."

"I agree. I agree. But that doesn't mean they won't talk, or push their noses into things they should stay out of."

She took a deep breath. It wasn't really her dad she was angry at, it was the situation. Running an agitated hand through her hair, Bella too sighed and said,

"I'm sorry, dad. I know it's not your fault."

Charlie smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His lips were spread too tightly across his face.

"I know, Bells."

Their dinner was much more relaxed after that. She and Charlie ventured into safer territory in talking about Billy and Jacob.

"They actually coming up Thursday night."

Bella felt her heart drop. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. Big game Thursday night"

Her palms suddenly turned clammy. Bella rubbed them across the top of her jeans as she tried to keep her breathing even. She hadn't spoken to Billy since their encounter in the kitchen. She didn't even know how to begin to act somewhat normal around him.

Charlie frowned, his tone concerned as he watched Bella's face grow pale. "You okay, Bells?"

Bella felt a delirious giggle build inside her chest. If only he knew.

"I'm fine, dad. I'm just a little tired."

"Maybe we should head home then. It's getting kind of late."

She was lucky Charlie didn't push her for any more details. She wasn't sure that in her kind of mental state that she would be able to keep her mouth shut about what was really going on.


	20. Nineteen

Bella stood behind Angela as she knocked on the Stanley's front door. Her arms were tightly crossed across her chest as she felt her stomach begin to tighten in anticipation. She tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. Angela shot her a worried look but before she could question Bella, the front door was opening. Bella sent a silent thank you to the universe. As the days drew closer to Thursday, Bella knew she was growing more and more anxious about Billy and Jacob coming over for dinner. Rachel was coming this time too. Bella hadn't spoken to Billy since their confrontation about the Cullen's secret. It was getting harder to concentrate in school, something Angela had taken notice of.

Jess's mom stood on the other side, a sad smile on her face. "Hey, come on in. Lauren and Jessica are upstairs. I can't thank you guys enough. She really needs her friends right now."

"Of course," Angela said. "We wouldn't be anywhere else."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"Well, I won't bother you girls for long. Let me know if you need anything."

Angela knocked lightly on Jess's door. Bella could hear them playing Beyonce's _Check On It_ inside the room. Lauren was the one to answer. She smiled widely at Angela, but Bella noticed how it seemed to falter as she saw Bella standing behind her. Her lips stretched a little too far over her teeth to be able to read the smile as genuine. Bella started to fidget with the hem of her shirt as her anxiety skyrocketing once more. She and Lauren hadn't actually gotten close in any way. It wasn't from a lack of trying. There was just something she was missing when it came to Lauren. Every time Bella tried to interact with her she couldn't help but feel there was some kind of wall in between them. An invisible layer of unmet expectations that separated them from one another. She'd yet to find a way to break through. Although, on the other hand, Jess had told Bella about Lauren's crush on Tyler. With her arrival sparking interest in most of the male population at Fork's High (Tyler included), Lauren had been colder towards her since she arrived.

It seemed this coldness would not disappear any time soon.

"Whooo! You're here! I swear you guys are the best."

Jess's voice hiccuped at the end as if she was on the verge of tears. Angela and Bella shared a concerned glance. Jess had been pushing everyone away from the topic of her breakup when they were at school. She was the epitome of her bubbly self from the moment she arrived till the moment she left. Mike and Tyler had officially split off from their group. Lauren and Eric bounced between the two, trying to uphold some sense of normalcy with their neutrality. However, none of this was truly surprising.

What had most people talking was how both Alice and Edward Cullen had joined the girl's group. The Cullen family had never truly interacted with the rest of the Fork's High population before. Not before Bella. Angela had been the first to push for Edward since he and Bella had been dating for a few months now. She didn't want Bella to feel like she had to choose between them.

Her thoughtfulness meant a lot to Bella. She and Angela often looked out for one another. With both of them being more introverted, it was easy to get drained by Jessica's and Eric's more outgoing personalities. If one noticed the other needed time to just think, they often steered the conversation away from the other. It was a flawless system between the two girls. They understood each other. With Edward's helpful little power, he even started to step in when he noticed if both of them just weren't up for conversing that day. Edward had been somewhat expected to join her as their relationship was now openly known. Alice, on the other hand, had been the curveball.

Alice had made friends with Jessica first. The two bonded over the latest fashion trends, something Bella was glad to be spared from. Those conversations were passionate and heated. It kinda scared her slightly how intense the two girls were about the subject, yet, she could see it was something they both truly loved. Plus, this kinship gave Alice an easy way to migrate into their lunch group, much to Edward's chagrin. However, he was quickly worn down as Alice and Jessica's tag teamed him on being so whipped by Bella that he wanted to spend all his time alone with her. Honestly, the pair was terrifying together.

"Of course," Bella said, echoing Angela's own words from earlier. "You're our friend. Friends are there for each other."

Lauren nudged Jess's knee with her foot. "Why the long face? This is supposed to be fun!"

Angela grinned and held up a grocery bag full of DVDs. "Besides, I think I got something that will cheer you up."

She reached in and pulled out three DVDs in particular. _Twin Peaks_ season one and two as well as the movie _10 Things I Hate About You_. Bella knew the bag was full of other chick flick movies and shows. Angela had grabbed everything and anything until Bella finally dragged her out of her house. If she hadn't Angela would have spent all night going back and forth between different films and TV shows.

Jessica let out a happy squeal as she reached towards the disks, practically snatching them from Angela's hands.

"Angela you're the best!"

Jess leaped off the piles of blankets and stuffed animals currently adorning her bedroom floor to pull both Angela and Bella into a hug. Bella let out a small laugh as she pulled away, her fingers combing from her hair as she said,

"Well, I didn't do much."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You're here. That's enough."

Bella flushed slightly at the affectionate tone of her voice, but couldn't deny she felt happy her presence could make such a difference. She welcomed the feeling. It helped block out other not so uplifting kind of thoughts. They had watched _10 Things I Hate About You_ and a couple of other films to pass the time. Jess's mom brought up their dinner and any other snacks or drinks they requested. Bella tried to offer to help her clean up some of their mess, but the older woman just laughed when she asked. Bella noticed how Jess's laugh sounded just the same as her mother's. Bella flushed and didn't bring the subject back up again.

"Do you think I should return it?" Jess asked out of the blue.

The others all frowned in confusion.

"Return what?" Lauren asked.

Jess's eyes flickered towards her closet, where a champagne colored dress hung wrap in a clear protective sleeve. Bella's eyes widened as she noticed Jess's lower lip started to tremble as she looked at her prom dress.

"Absolutely not!" Lauren exclaimed. "You're gonna go to that dance looking hot as hell and show Mikey what he's missing out on."

Jessica let out a small laugh. "Yeah, well he ain't missing much."

Angela hit Jess's shoulder. "Shut up. Don't talk about yourself like that. You're a-"

"Wonderful, smart, and beautiful girl. I know. I know. Its just...this whole thing sucks you know?" Jessica's voice cracked as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I liked him for so long. I waited years for that asswipe to grow a pair and ask me out. I thought at the beach when we kissed and he didn't push me away that that was it. We were gonna go on dates to movies and the diner. I had everything planned out. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to happen."

"Jess, no one expects stuff like this to happen," Bella said. "No one starts a relationship thinking it's going to end."

She nodded solemnly. "Yeah, but we weren't in a relationship. He just wanted to make you jealous."

Bella reeled back, cursing herself. She opened her mouth to respond when Jessica cut her off first.

"I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault. Mike never really liked Forks. You know he moved here from California in middle school. I remember him talking about the beaches and the sun. How his face would just light up when he talked about leaving this place behind. I just...I wanted to be the reason he liked it here. I wanted to see that smile on his face whenever he looked at me."

They were all silent. None of them made a move to interrupt Jess. This was her time to work through the pain.

"I knew he didn't feel the same. I _knew_ but I still hoped that it wasn't true. That one day he would look at me and something would change. I guess I was just being stupid, wasn't I?"

"No, you were just hoping he'd like you back. There's nothing wrong with that," Angela said.

Jessica wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Yeah, I guess. But I think I'm gonna return the dress."

"No way! We're still going as a group. Me, Tyler, Angela, and Eric. You can be a part of our group. There's no rule that says you have to go to prom with a date."

"I'm not going alone! I'll be the fifth wheel. Where's the fun in that?"

Jessica stopped short and her gaze snapped sharply over towards Bella. She was partially taken aback by the wild glint in her eye as Jessica crawled towards her. Jess took Bella by the shoulders and shook her slightly as she excitedly exclaimed,

"You can go with me! You said you and Edward weren't gonna go this year. We could go together! Like a friend date. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Bella stumbled over her next sentence as her brain worked to catch up with what was currently happening.

"The prom's next week, Jess. I don't have a dress, and you know how I feel about dances. I wouldn't be any fun to be around. I…"

Her friend laughing in a humorless tone as she pulled away from Bella, causing her to trail off.

"That was a stupid idea. I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have sprung it on you."

Bella winced, guilt racking her bones at the sad and quiet voice of her usually bubbly friend. Jessica wanted this. She wanted Bella to go and have fun with her. She even sounded like her own happy self just talking about it. Bella swallowed hard and shook her head.

"No, it wasn't. I just...dances scare me, you know? But if that's what you want, I'll do it."

Lauren snorted but didn't make any further comment when Jessica shot her an icy look.

"Really? You're sure?"

Bella couldn't say no to hopeful look in Jessica's eyes. Smiling she said,

"I'm sure."

"Besides, we can always go back to Port Angeles this weekend. I'm sure we can find something to go with your dress color," Angela said.

Jessica nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Bella, this is gonna be so much fun! We can all get ready at my house. I can do your makeup and hair. What would you want to do with your hair? I was planning on pulling mine up in a bun. We could always curl your hair."

Bella blinked as her friend continued to faun and babble about different hairstyles and colors. It reminded Bella of exactly why Alice and Jessica got along so well. They were practically the same person when it comes to stuff like this. A cold chill went down her spine as she thought about Alice. The girl had pressed her and Edward for months about going to prom together. She finally lost hope when none of her visions showed the pair making a surprise entrance. Without a doubt, Alice would see this change and Bella was afraid that she would want to get involved with the pre-prom activities. One extraverted fashionista was hard enough to deal with, let alone two.

But Bella would swallow her pride. She was doing this for Jessica. It was the least she could do for her friend. Besides, it left her mind wandering towards Edward. Bella had right out refused to go to prom when he asked. She didn't like dances. She could barely walk straight and her past ballet experiences didn't bode well for that sort of thing. Edward teased her about missing out on the human experiences, but never pushed the subject. Bella couldn't deny that she felt like an ass after seeing how put out he was with her outright refusal. So she asked for a comprise. This year they would plan a movie night together on the night of prom and go together for their senior prom. Edward instantly brightened at the prospect causing Bella to smile.

… **...**

Wednesday night, Mike cornered her at work. Bella was trying to best to avoid him when at the Newton's store. His mother would purposely seek her out to tell her how relieved she was to hear about his breakup with Jessica.

"Don't get me wrong. Jessica is a lovely girl, and I know you two are close. But I couldn't help but feel that they weren't right for each other. Mike would fit better with a more reserved girl, I think. He's so outgoing himself, he needs someone to ground him, you know?"

It took everything in Bella not to slug her right then and there. She may have been quieter and reserved like her father, but her stubbornness and temper was all her mother. She was fiercely protective over what she considered hers. She hated hearing how horribly people in town talk about Jess this way. Mike, of course, was spared from such a fate. He reputation was still flawless in the eyes of the town. Such a nice, smart, and outgoing boy like Mike Newton would never say such foul things unless it was prompted. Yet, the younger students at the school disagreed. Mike was still well-liked and popular but there was now a stale air around him. Over the past week, Bella noticed how most of Mike's interactions with others outside of Tyler and Eric were done so mostly out of politeness. Fewer people hung around his car after school and his basketball buddies stopped waiting for him after practice. Or that's at least what Angela heard from Eric.

"Bella, can I talk to you?"

He caught her while she was stocking shelves. She had been so engrossed in her work that she never heard him approach. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with ways to get out of this situation. She could feel her cheeks growing hotter as she instinctively reached up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I can't really right now. I gotta finish this up before closing time. I promised your mom I would."

Bella shrugged half-heartedly and tried to walk away. Mike wouldn't let her go so easily.

"Please? Just for a minute?"

He sounded desperate. _Dammit._

Bella sighed heavily. "What is it?"

She watched as he drummed his fingers against the metal shelves. Anxiety and nerves were pouring out of him making Bella feel even more apprehensive.

"Can you talk to Jess for me?"

"Talk to her about what?" She asked with a frown.

"I-I was dumb. I know. I shouldn't have said what I said. I feel really bad about it, but she won't talk to me. She won't answer the phone whenever I call and she ignores me at school. I just want everything to go back to the way it was before."

Bella shook her head and glanced down at her watch. Relief flooded her senses as she saw it was time for her to clock out. She began to fumble over an excuse to bolt.

"Mike, I really can't talk about this right now. My dad is expecting me home soon. Can we talk about this later?"

The one thing Bella knew about Mike Newton was that he was persistent. He followed her into the break room as she gathered her things, continuing to plead with her to talk to Jessica.

"Just tell her that I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry and I can't stop beating myself up about it. I know she'll listen to you. Please, Bella."

Bella slipped her hand into her pocket and held her car keys firmly in-between her knuckles. She didn't like his tone of voice and she felt even more uncomfortable by the crazed gleam in his eye. She couldn't help the spark of fear that wormed itself into her heart as she thought of what he would do if she kept rejecting. What really freaked her out was how he kept following her.

 _Take a deep breath. There are cameras here. You'll be fine._

Bella walked a little bit faster as she came out of the break room, the glass doors of the store just within reach.

 _Just make it to your car. Get in your car and lock the doors._

"Mike, really, I can't talk right now. Maybe another time."

Her free hand reached for the door as Mike's arm shot out and wrapped tightly around the door handle, boxing her in. Bella gulped and clutched her car keys even tighter in her hand. What she would give to have some pepper spray right about now.

"Bella, you're my only hope, okay? I need you to talk to Jess for me. Just try."

Bella clenched her jaw. "Okay," she lied through her teeth.

 _Just let me go._

Mike did not loosen his grip from the door, even as she pushed against it.

"Mike, I want to go home now," her voice was hard but it wavered slightly as he still did not let go.

"Will-"

Bella slowly turned to face him, as not to alarm Mike of her escape plan. Thoughts of her father's tips on self-defense ran a hundred miles an hour through her head. She was just beginning to raise her weapon out of her pocket when a sudden knocking sound startled her. Bella whipped around to see Edward standing just on the other side of the glass door. Bella felt her eyes water with relief as she flashed him a small smile.

He did not smile back as he was glaring harshly at Mike. Mike did not move, not at first. Edward started to reach out towards the door when Mike let go and backed up with his hands raised partially in the air.

"Just think about it, please."

"Sure," Bella said, her voice hollow.

Mike shoved his hands into his pockets before disappearing into the breakroom. Bella waited for a moment to make sure he wasn't going to come back out before all but ripping the glass door off its hinges. Edward immediately warped his arms around Bella, bringing her in close for a comforting hug. With her ear pressed against his chest, Bella could hear the faint rumbles of animalistic snarls attempting to break through.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Edward growled.

Bella pulled back and reached out for his hand. She rubbed her thumb in a soothing, circular motion on the back of his hand. This action was more for her own sake than his.

"No. I'm fine. Really, he didn't do anything."

"I'll rip his god-damn-"

"Edward. Seriously, drop it. He was just pushing me to try to talk to Jessica for him. I think you made your point clear."

Edward took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

"For now, I'll let it go. But he won't get off so easily if something like this happens again."

Bella nodded, her emotions running too high causing her to anxiously run her hands through her hair. "Can we talk about something else?"

She winced at how her voice broke at the end of her sentence. Edward deflated almost instantly and a crooked smile formed on his face as he pulled Bella closer to his side.

"Alice is very angry with you. Expect a very passive aggressive voicemail when you get back home."

"What? Why? What did I do?" She asked with a startled laugh.

Edward grinned broadly. "It's what you haven't done yet."

Bella rolled her eyes and muttered, "The perks of having a psychic best friend, I guess. Anything you can tell me?"

"It has something to do with prom. She was singing the Chinese alphabet backwards in her head when she called you. She didn't want me to see whatever her vision entailed."

Bella flushed and turned away from Edward's curious stare. How was she going to break the news to her boyfriend that she was going to prom without him?

"I...well the thing is…."

Edward waited patiently as Bella stumbled over her words, his lips twitching with silent laughter causing Bella to smack him in the stomach.

"Shut up, I'm trying to tell you something."

He reached out and intertwined their fingers. Edward did say anything but lightly laid a kiss on the inside of her wrist causing Bella to smile.

"Since Jess broke up with Mike, she doesn't really have a date to prom anymore."

Edward nodded slowly, his brow furled slightly as he listened to her speak.

Bella took a deep breath. "Well, she wanted us to go together. We're supposed to go dress shopping this weekend."

Edward suddenly laughed causing Bella to jump.

"Dress shopping. I should have known. I do not envy you, love."

Bella's mouth dropped open in shock. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because...because you wanted to go to prom and I told you no. And now I'm going with Jess and-"

"Bella, I'm not angry with you. I told you before, I'm happy to do whatever makes you happy. Besides, I know how much Jessica means to you."

She played on the hem of his shirt before pulling Edward down into a hard kiss.

"I can't believe you."

Edward smiled against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her. "Why? This is all apart of my devious plan to get you to dance with me."

Bella scoffed. "Whatever."

"I'm serious. It's all going to plan. Everything's falling into place."

"I believe you," she deadpanned.

Edward laughed before pulling away. "Are you okay to drive home? I can if you're not feeling well."

Bella shook her head. "I'm fine. Really, I am. I'll be okay."

He stared at her for a long moment before kissing her one last time. Edward followed her out of the parking lot. When he honked, she looked over to see that Edward had rolled down his window to wave goodbye as he turned. Bella smiled and lifted her hand to wave back as he sped away, knowing he could see the action despite the darkness.

She drove home distracted by worried thoughts of Mike and Jessica. She'd been so lost in thought that she didn't even realize she'd made it home until she cut off her engine. Bella tiredly rubbed her face before stepping out of the car. She heard Charlie's snores before she saw him. He was passed out cold in the recliner. Bella slowly tip-toed over and lightly began to shake his shoulder.

"Dad? Dad?" She whispered.

Charlie jerked awake causing Bella to step back.

"Hey, Bells," he said, his voice heavy with sleep.

"You tired, dad?"

Charlie flashed her a small smile. "Just a little."

He rose groggily out of the recliner and walked towards the stairs. Bella followed closely behind, stifling a yawn of her own.

"You know you didn't have to wait for me."

Charlie dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. "I'm your dad, hon. Of course, I do."

Bella flushed. She was suddenly overcome with such a rush of emotion about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours with Mike and Jessica that she couldn't stop herself from reaching out and pulling her father into a tight hug. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as she buried her face into his chest.

"Hey, you okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. I just wanted a hug."

Charlie brought his arms around Bella and laid a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Bella pulled away, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "Yeah, I'm good."

Charlie watched her for a moment before sighing. "Well...I'm always here if you need a hug."

A watery laugh spilled from her lips. "Thanks, dad."

They parted for bed after one more quick hug. Exhausted, Bella didn't even stop to brush her teeth before ripping off her clothes and climbing into bed. All she wanted to do was sleep and ignore everything for a little while.

Bella had completely forgotten about the voicemail Edward said Alice left her. However, she did not miss the lecture the next day at school. Alice had weaseled it out of Jess that Bella was planning on going to prom with them and that they were going dress shopping this weekend. Jess had even invited Alice to come along with them. Bella rolled her eyes as the smaller girl shot her a triumphant smirk.

"This is going to be so much fun! I can't believe we haven't been shopping together before," Alice squealed.

A huge smile spread across Jessica's face. "I know! You will certainly be a great change of pace compared to these two useless lumps."

Angela pretended to be offended by Jess's words, causing even more laughter to go around the table. Bella couldn't bring herself to play along. She was so happy to see her friends' joy that she didn't even care. For once, Bella found herself looking forward to shopping and dances. Her mother would never believe it.

Hell must have frozen over.


	21. Twenty

The sound of the doorbell ringing caused Bella to jump. She felt her body tensing as she heard Charlie greet Billy at the front door. Bella sighed. She knew she had to face him sooner or later. There was no use in running.

However, there was something else that caught her attention. Her ears perked up once she heard an unfamiliar female voice start to speak.

"You look good, Becca. Glad to have you back."

"Aw, thanks uncle Charlie. I'm glad to be back."

 _Rebecca._ Bella peaked out of the kitchen to get a glimpse of her. She could only pray she wouldn't talk too much about any of their childhood adventures as she didn't properly remember her or her sister. She was a beautiful woman, Bella noticed. A bright smile with warm eyes. Those brown eyes flickered towards her leaning against the kitchen door frame.

"Bella!" She all but shouted, happily walking towards her.

Becca wasted no time wrapping her arms around Bella. Bella was proud of herself for not tensing up too much. She reached up and loosely hugged the other woman back.

"It's good to see you," Bella said shyly as she pulled away.

Becca smiled widely as she looked Bella up and down. "You're looking good girly."

Bella flushed. "So do you."

"Nah, you're too sweet."

Jacob appeared behind Becca's shoulder scowling. "You can't hog her the whole time."

Both Becca and Bella laughed.

After throwing a wink towards her, Becca turned towards her younger brother and said, "Well if that doesn't bring up old memories I don't know what does. Jacob was always mad at me and Rachel for stealing you from him."

Both Bella and Jacob flushed, yet the scene of him floundering for a response caused Bella to start laughing. "It wasn't like that! She was my friend first. You guys always stole my friends."

"It wasn't our fault people liked us better. You were always such a little green gremlin."

Bella heard Charlie laugh. "Looks like some things never change. No matter how old they get."

Bella turned to see both Charlie and Billy watching with amused grins as the two continued to argue back and forth. Bella noticed Billy's smile turned down some as he made eye contact with her. The sight caused her throat to tighten and her heart to start hammering wildly. Whatever thought had crossed his mind, Billy shook himself free of it as Bella stepped forward.

"Bella, it's good to see you."

She could tell by the softer tone of his voice that he meant it. This caused her to slowly release a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. Bella felt something uncoil in her stomach as she flashed him a small smile, her body losing its tight strain. She had been so worked up and sick thinking about seeing him again that she had started to spin wild, horrible scenarios in her head about what would happen when she saw Billy again after their last confrontation about the Cullen's secret. Bella imagined everything from him flat out ignoring her to lecturing her on how reckless and stupid she was for continuing a relationship with Edward after finding out the truth.

Although she still had doubts floating around in the back of her head, Billy didn't act any different towards her. Throughout the night, Bella felt herself slowly relaxing more and more.

She and Jacob stood off to the side talking. He couldn't believe she was going to prom.

"No way. There's no way."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Is it that hard to believe I'm going to prom?"

"I can't imagine you in a dress!" He exclaimed before he started to laugh at the sheer thought. "I mean I always thought I would end up eating my own foot before you would ever wear one of those things."

Bella grimaced.

"Don't remind me. I have to go dress shopping tomorrow."

"Cuttin' it kind of close aren't you? Isn't your prom next weekend?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't planning on going until Tuesday."

Jacob smirked. "What? Did Cullen not ask you?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "He did. I told him no."

"Then what changed your mind?"

"Well...I'm going with a friend. It's more of a friend-date than an actual date-date."

"Ah. That makes a little more sense. I knew it couldn't be of your own free will you were going to torture yourself with makeup and heels."

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Shut up. I'm trying to block all of that out. Don't you guys have a prom coming up so I can make fun of you?"

Jacob shrugged, his playful mood deflating. "We don't have anything as big as your prom. Just a couple small dances but the Res doesn't really have the money to rent any place out or anything."

Bella frowned. "Well, would you want to come crash ours?"

Jake's head whipped around so fast she was afraid he'd get whiplash.

"What? You serious?"

"Why not? I could use someone as an excuse to escape the crowds. Besides, you could invite Quil and Embry too!"

"But...don't we need tickets or anything?"

"Jake, we get two tickets when we pay the fee for it. Since I'm going with a group, we can totally spare our extra tickets for you guys."

"You would do that?"

"Jacob, it's not that big a deal. Besides, you guys are my friends too. We should all be able to have fun together."

A wide smile spread across his face. "You know what this means right?"

Bella leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No...what does this mean?"

"I get to see you in a dress!"

Bella shook her head at Jake's extreme amusement at the situation. "Like I said, don't get used to it."

Jake was ignoring her, still laughing as she walked away. Bella went to stand by Rebecca, shaking her head at his antics. Becca tilted her chin in Jake's direction before asking her,

"What's got him so tickled?"

"Just his own stupidity."

Becca laughed at her dead-pan answer. "That I can believe."

They stood in silence for a moment, before Rebecca spoke again. Her voice somewhat hesitant as she asked,

"So," She said, casting Bella a side glance. "You dating anyone?"

Bella flushed. "Um, yeah actually. Why?"

Her eyes quickly cut to where Billy, her father, and now Jacob sat in the living room. Had Billy asked Rebecca to interrogate her? Bella felt her stomach begin to drop as she thought this.

Rebecca shrugged. "Just curious. I'm sure Jake is a great conversationalist on anything and everything romantic."

Her suspicion waned at the sarcastic tone heavy in Rebecca's voice causing Bella's lips to twitch upwards.

"I mean all he is really good for is talking car repair."

Rebecca let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Yup. Poor kid. Don't know how you can stand him."

Bella only hummed in response, not entirely sure how to respond. She felt an awkward silence build between her and Rebecca and she panicked slightly trying to fill it.

"So are you dating anyone?"

Bella watched as Rebecca smiled softly. "Yeah. Her name is Jacqueline."

"Oh, cool. How long have you guys been together."

"Almost three years now. We're actually looking for an apartment to share, but you know how cities are. Everything is expensive as hell."

"Is that why you came back to the Res?"

Becca tensed for a moment causing Bella to frown.

 _Shit, shit, shit. You just can't control your mouth can you?_

Bella started to wave her hands and began speaking in a somewhat frantic tone, "I didn't really mean anything by that. You don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

Although she wore a tight smile, Becca didn't seem that angry to upset by the more personal question.

"You're good, girly. Don't worry about it." She took a deep breath before letting out a big sigh. "Yeah. I graduated last semester and now I'm kinda scrambling for a job and stuff. Jackie is still in school for another year so we're looking for somewhere not too far from the university. Dad offered to let me stay here for a little while so I could focus on job searching."

"Billy mentioned you had graduated. What was your major?"

Rebecca had graduated with a Masters in Communication. Bella was fascinated to hear about her work on the Native Voices program within that department. She could have listened to her for hours, but soon the game was over.

"Becca, don't be a stranger," Charlie said. "I better be seeing you before you head back to Seattle."

Becca smiled and gave Charlie a big hug. "Wouldn't dream of skipping out on you."

She turned and smiled brightly at Bella.

"You don't be a stranger either. I'm glad I got to see you again."

Bella flushed slightly. "Me too."

Charlie was helping Becca and Jake put up leftovers in the car, and Bella found herself alone with Billy. Her early anxiety started to rise up once again. She fumbled with the edge of her shirt as he turned towards her.

"Dr. Cullen contacted me."

Bella stiffened but said nothing in return.

"I'm meeting with him and his wife next week."

She nodded curtly. "He mentioned it."

Billy sighed deeply. "Despite what you may think, I will act civil towards them. As much as I...dislike Dr. Cullen and his family, he is a man of his word. I can appreciate that."

Bella frowned, feeling guilty for initially thinking Billy would lash out at her. "I'm sorry. I know you will. You're a good man."

Billy laughed, the sound somewhat bitter as he patted her hand. "Thank you, Bells."

Bella bit her lip as she struggled to think of what to say next. She had started to open her mouth when Billy started to speak again.

"I won't pretend that everything is alright. I'm pissed at them. I'm angry that they'll take you away from Charlie and from us. But, there are some things you aren't completely aware of. I know you have questions."

Bella nodded slowly. Hesitant to bring up the subject. "You knew their secret before anyone else."

Billy nodded. "Yes. The elders were aware they would most likely return."

"Return?" Bella asked, her interest peaked.

"This isn't the first time the Cullens have resided in Forks. There was less of them, but it was them nonetheless."

"They were here before? When?"

Billy thought for a moment before answering. "My grandfather had met them. Told me stories about their strangeness when I was young. But Bella, there are some things I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it's sacred. Knowledge that I will not share with you or even Charlie. I need you to respect that."

Bella was somewhat taken aback but understood the seriousness of the situation.

"Of course. I just...I was just..."

"You were curious. There's no shame in that, but there are limits to curiosity."

Bella nodded once more. She could feel her cheeks and neck growing hot. Bella was sure she looked blotchy. Despite the initial heaviness, Bella felt almost lighter as she and Charlie stood on the porch, sheltered from the rain as they waved goodbye to the Blacks.

Bella lingered on the porch, lost in her own thoughts. Billy was right. She had pushed too hard.

There were limits and she needed to respect that.

 **A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter is late. I've been really busy with school and some health stuff. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think. The Native Voices is a real program supported by the University of Washington. Go check it out!**


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